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Mitch McConnell Says There's 'Zero Chance' That Trump Will Be Removed from Office

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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday there is “zero chance” that President Donald Trump is going to be removed from office due to the House Democrat-led impeachment effort.

“We have no choice but to take it up,” McConnell told Fox News host Sean Hannity, referring to the role of the Senate should the House vote to impeach the president.

“But we’ll be working through this process hopefully in a fairly short period of time, in total coordination with the White House counsel’s office and the people who are representing the president, in the well of the Senate,” he said.

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Asked if he believed any Republican senators would vote to impeach Trump, McConnell responded, “I doubt it,” adding, “There’s zero chance the president, obviously, would be removed from office. And I’m hoping we’ll have no defections at all.”

The Constitution provides that a majority vote in the House is needed to impeach the president, while two-thirds of the Senate is needed to convict and remove him or her from office.

“The case is so darn weak coming over from the House. We all know how it’s going to end,” McConnell said. “There is no chance the president is going to be removed from office.”

Hannity asked the majority leader if he anticipated a long or short trial in the Senate. The host pointed out that some have argued it would be in the president’s best interest to take the time to call witnesses like the whistleblower, who alleged Trump had engaged in a quid pro quo in seeking an investigation from Ukraine into former Vice President Joe Biden in exchange for military aid from the U.S.

The July 25 call transcript released from the White House indicated no overt quid pro quo demand, and multiple witnesses who testified before the House Intelligence Committee stated the transcript accurately reflected the conversation between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

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Hannity also mentioned Biden and his son Hunter Biden as other witnesses the Republican senators might want to call but contended that having a short trial might serve the president better.

McConnell agreed but emphasized that he would defer to what the president’s counsel wanted.

“If you know you have the votes, you’ve listened to the arguments on both sides, and believe the case is so slim, so weak, that you have the votes to end it, that might be what the president’s lawyers would prefer,” McConnell said.

“And you can certainly make a case for making it shorter rather than longer,” he added.

The House Judiciary Committee voted on party lines to approve two articles of impeachment against Trump on Friday.

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The president reacted to the vote at the White House, noting U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland testified that the president wanted “no quid pro quo.

“To use the power of impeachment on this nonsense is an embarrassment to this country,” Trump said.

A vote by the full House is expected sometime next week before Congress leaves for the Christmas break.

Assuming the House votes to impeach the president, McConnell anticipates the Senate trial beginning in early January.

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Randy DeSoto has written more than 2,000 articles for The Western Journal since he joined the company in 2015. He is a graduate of West Point and Regent University School of Law. He is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths" and screenwriter of the political documentary "I Want Your Money."
Randy DeSoto is the senior staff writer for The Western Journal. He wrote and was the assistant producer of the documentary film "I Want Your Money" about the perils of Big Government, comparing the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. Randy is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths," which addresses how leaders have appealed to beliefs found in the Declaration of Independence at defining moments in our nation's history. He has been published in several political sites and newspapers.

Randy graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a BS in political science and Regent University School of Law with a juris doctorate.
Birthplace
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Graduated dean's list from West Point
Education
United States Military Academy at West Point, Regent University School of Law
Books Written
We Hold These Truths
Professional Memberships
Virginia and Pennsylvania state bars
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Entertainment, Faith




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