Pence chief of staff says Trump was impeached ‘because he’s winning in so many ways’

Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, Marc Short, said President Trump was impeached “because he’s winning in so many ways.”

Short told NBC News’s “Meet the Press” that the White House believes Trump was impeached because of a Democratic fear that the president could be reelected.

“I think that right now the West Wing and the White House is understanding that the reason that the president it being impeached is because he’s winning in so many ways,” Short said.

“He won on taxes, the economy is booming, there’s record low unemployment, the military is getting refunded, we’re striking new trade deals,” he added.

Asked about the kind of trial the West Wing wants to see, chief of staff for Vice President Mike Pence @marcshort45 says “I think that right now … the White House is understanding that the reason this president is being impeached is because he’s winning in so many ways.” #MTP

— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) December 22, 2019

Short also predicted that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) would end up coming to an agreement on a Senate impeachment trial. 

{mosads}But he criticized Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for holding back the articles of impeachment from the Senate as she awaits for the rules to be finalized in the upper chamber. 

“How can you possibly justify the contrast to say this is urgent to then say ‘well, we’ll have to wait and see?’” Short said.

Schumer has pushed for McConnell to allow witnesses in the Senate trial, particularly those who were banned from testifying previously by the White House. McConnell and other Republicans have condemned this request, saying the House should have called all necessary witnesses before voting to impeach the president.

Short told host Chuck Todd on Sunday that he thinks Trump “is open to witnesses” in the Senate trial, but the American public does not want an extended proceeding. 

The House passed two articles of impeachment last week, pushing the matter to the Senate for trial. With a Republican-majority Senate, it is unlikely the upper chamber will vote to remove Trump from office.