President Donald Trump stated that he “wouldn’t mind” a long trial in the Senate if the House votes to impeach him, a break from some of his GOP allies who have said they hope to have a more abbreviated process, The Hill reported.
“I’ll do whatever I want. Look, we did nothing wrong. So, I’ll do long or short,” Trump said in a statement to reporters in the Oval Office.
The President also said that he was convinced that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, as well as Senator Lindsey Graham, are “very much in agreement on some concept.”
“I’ll do whatever they want to do. It doesn’t matter,” Trump said. “I wouldn’t mind a long process because I’d like to see the whistleblower, who’s a fraud.”
The comments underscored the difficulty the Senate has had getting on the same page with Trump in gaming out what a Senate trial would look like following a House impeachment vote.
The President has repeatedly stated a desire to hear from witnesses including former Vice President Joe Biden, his son Hunter Biden and the whistleblower whose complaint triggered the impeachment inquiry.
But several Republican senators have floated conducting a quick trial where no witnesses are called by either the President’s team or House impeachment managers. Graham said earlier this week he felt it was in the country’s best interest to “deep-six” the trial to move on from impeachment quickly.
McConnell has not publicly backed any particular plan, but said Thursday night he does not expect any Republicans to vote to convict Trump.
“Everything I do during this I’m coordinating with the White House counsel. There will be no difference between the president’s position and our position as to how to handle this,” McConnell told Fox News on Thursday.
Pressed about the potential for witnesses during a Senate trial, McConnell demurred, saying he would coordinate with Trump’s lawyers.
The House Judiciary Committee on Friday morning voted to advance two articles of impeachment against Trump: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The articles are expected to come up for a full House vote next week.
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