Schumer hails McConnell’s concessions on trial rules but says witnesses is bigger issue

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday hailed two concessions Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) made on the resolution setting the rules for President Trump’s impeachment trial, arguing it shows the GOP leader is feeling political heat. 

“The public is understanding how unfair Senator McConnell’s trial rules are and Republican Senators are beginning to tell him to change them. The real test will be if they pressure Senator McConnell to allow witnesses and documents,” Schumer said in a statement.

Separately, Schumer told reporters, “The pressure that we have put on them and on Republican senators has gotten them to change.” 

McConnell made two last-minute changes to the draft of the organizing resolution he circulated Monday evening, which Schumer had slammed before the trial as “nothing short of a national disgrace.”

The GOP leader agreed to give House prosecutors more time to make their opening arguments — three days instead of two — and added language to allow evidence compiled in the House impeachment inquiry to be automatically submitted into the Senate’s trial record.

He made them after receiving pushback from moderate Republicans, including Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Rob Portman (Ohio), at a lunch meeting Tuesday afternoon.

“Senator Collins and others raised concerns about the 24 hours of opening statements in 2 days and the admission of the House transcript in the record,” Annie Clark, a spokeswoman for Collins, said. 

“Her position has been that the trial should follow the Clinton model as much as possible. She thinks these changes are a significant improvement,” Clark added.