Sen. Lindsey Graham rebuked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for holding the articles of impeachment from the Senate and advised Republicans to “take matters into our own hands” if she continues.
The South Carolina Republican called out Pelosi in a series of tweets Monday, urging her “to fish or cut bait” and meet “Constitutional obligations” in sending the House-approved articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate.
Graham reminded the California Democrat that she declared Trump’s impeachment was “a national imperative” in a tweet responding to the president’s comment that she was about to lose the House and her position as Speaker again because of her decision to delay the articles from getting to the Senate.
It’s time for @SpeakerPelosi, who claimed impeachment was a national imperative, to fish or cut bait.
Commit to sending the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate consistent with Constitutional obligations. https://t.co/QpSptWm34F
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) December 23, 2019
Graham echoed Trump’s words as he had demanded to know “what right” Pelosi had to hold up the Senate trial.
“This Witch Hunt must end NOW with a trial in the Senate, or let her default & lose. No more time should be wasted on this Impeachment Scam!” the president had tweeted.
Graham went on to remind Republicans that Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are not the ones in charge of the Senate as he condemned the speaker’s actions as “an affront to the Constitution.”
If she refuses, Senate Republicans should take matters into our own hands. We are in charge of the Senate — not Pelosi or Schumer.
Speaker Pelosi’s actions are an affront to the Constitution, the Senate, and denies President @realDonaldTrump his day in court.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) December 23, 2019
The Senate Judiciary Committee chairman also noted that the impeachment process “should come to an end in weeks, not months.”
This case should mirror the process used in the Clinton impeachment and should come to an end in weeks, not months.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) December 23, 2019
Pelosi has been sitting on the articles of impeachment, accusing Trump of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, since the near-party line vote by the House on Dec. 19. She has come under fire for her efforts to manipulate the process by not sending the articles to the Senate as expected in an attempt to affect how the trial will be conducted.
The Democrat leader doubled down on Monday, challenging the Senate and the White House as she insisted the House could not move forward “until we know what sort of trial the Senate will conduct.”
The House cannot choose our impeachment managers until we know what sort of trial the Senate will conduct.
President Trump blocked his own witnesses and documents from the House, and from the American people, on phony complaints about the House process. What is his excuse now?
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) December 23, 2019
In response, Graham slammed the “Constitutional outrage” and warned Pelosi to “stop playing games with the Constitution.”
This Constitutional outrage by @SpeakerPelosi needs to end.
She is trying to run the Senate and deny President @realDonaldTrump his day in court after the House’s sham impeachment process. https://t.co/fOCW8Tc1L8
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) December 23, 2019
Stop playing games with the Constitution.
In our system, you can’t be the Speaker of the House and the Senate Majority Leader at the same time.
The Senate will decide how we dispose of this sham created by the House.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) December 23, 2019
The GOP lawmaker warned that the Senate would “strike back” and end the “debacle” if it continues into the new year.
If this continues into 2020, the Senate needs to strike back, standing up for our rights and ending this debacle.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) December 23, 2019
CNN analyst David Gergen, a former White House adviser to four presidents, recently warned Pelosi that her efforts to manipulate the impeachment process could backfire, calling the ploy to hold the articles a “double-edged sword.”
“There’s something hypocritical about we want it quick, now we want it slow. And we were willing to do this without witnesses over on our side of the aisle. But now you guys have got to do it with witnesses on your side,” he told CNN on Sunday. “I think it’s a double-edge sword. It cuts both ways.”
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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