Impeachment Trial: Mitch McConnell Not Pressuring Republicans to Acquit Trump

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) isn't putting the pressure on his fellow Republicans to acquit former President Donald Trump as the Senate impeachment trial appears to be winding down, reports The Hill. Several Republican lawmakers told the publication that the former Trump ally during the ex-president's time in office has only spoken to them about procedural steps and the trial's timeline.

"He's never really talked about it to us," said Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.). "Mitch is a very good tactician ... but he's also very respectful that every senator got here on their own." Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), an adviser to McConnell, said he remains undecided to his own personal vote and has received no input from McConnell himself. "I don't think I've gotten any guidance," Portman said. "Colleagues have stood up and expressed their views, but they're not representing leadership. ... [McConnell] has said, 'I think this is a vote of conscience.'"

Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) told reporters that while he wouldn't want to disclose what McConnell had said, the minority leader "hasn't really told us to do anything." In contrast, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who voted Tuesday to proceed with the trial in a move that surprised his fellow party members, said Republican leaders "haven't mentioned a word" about his vote. Another possible swing vote for the Democrats, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), said there had been no pressure "whatsoever" for her to vote one way or the other, answering, "Absolutely," when asked if she was free to vote as she pleased.

Wednesday, McConnell said he wouldn't answer questions about if he was open to convicting his former political ally, describing himself as undecided until hearing all the trial arguments. "I want to listen to the arguments. I think that's what we ought to do. That's what I said before it started. That's still my view," McConnell said, as per The Hill.

McConnell's motivations have been difficult to place. He criticized Trump's Jan. 6 statements in which the former president urged his supporters to march on the Capitol as lawmakers attempted to certify the Electoral College votes for President Biden, saying he believed Trump "provoked" the mob that would attack the Capitol, leaving five people dead. He added at the time that he hadn't spoken to Trump since mid-December. On the other side of the coin, McConnell also negotiated a delay to the trial start date and voted that the trial itself was unconstitutional earlier this week.