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Mitch McConnell says Senate will have 'no choice' but to hold trial if House votes to impeach Donald Trump

Ever since the impeachment inquiry by the House Democrats, there has been speculation that McConnell might refuse to hold a trial.
UPDATED MAR 19, 2020
Mitch McConnell (Getty Images)
Mitch McConnell (Getty Images)

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said that the Senate would not have any "choice" but to conduct a trial on whether to remove President Donald Trump from office if the House of Representatives votes to put forward articles of impeachment, according to reports.

In a statement on Monday, McConnell said that it is part of the Senate's rules to hold a trial after a House vote and that it would take nearly a two-thirds of the chamber to vote against the impeachment process to change that, according to CNBC. "I would have no choice but to take it up a based on a Senate rule on impeachment," the Kentucky Republican told the outlet. 

The comments from the Senate majority leader come days after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced an impeachment inquiry against Trump. The inquiry was launched after a whistleblower filed an official complaint regarding a controversial call between the US president and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky alleging that the Republican had sought a "favor" from the foreign leader to investigate his political rival and Democratic frontrunner of 2020 elections - former Vice President Joe Biden.  

A subsequent transcript of the controversial call released by the White House confirmed the allegation, however, Trump has denied exerting any pressure on Zelensky.

According to the Constitution, a simple majority of the House, that means 218 votes, would be required to submit articles of impeachment to the Senate. An impeachment is similar to an indictment in a court. A trial would then be conducted by the Senate where at least two-thirds of the chamber (67 votes) would have to vote in agreement of impeachment for the sitting president to be removed from the office. During the process, House lawmakers would act as prosecutors and the senators would be the jury for an impeachment trial.

Ever since the impeachment inquiry by the House Democrats, there has been speculation that McConnell might refuse to hold a trial. However, he quashed the speculations by stating that he would have to conduct a trial according to the Constitution. "So I would have no choice but to take it up," McConnell said. "How long you're on it is a whole different matter." 

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