Trump attacks Democrats over impeachment following call with military members

President Trump launched into a diatribe over his impeachment following a video call with U.S. service members on Tuesday, claiming Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) “hates the Republican Party” while insisting he’s in a “very good position” ahead of a Senate trial.

“She hates the Republican Party. She hates all of the people that voted for me and the Republican Party and she’s desperate,” Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla.

“She got thrown out as Speaker once before,” he continued. “I think it’s going to happen again. She’s doing a tremendous disservice to the country, and she’s not doing a great job. And some people think she doesn’t know what she’s doing.”

The president was responding to Pelosi’s decision to delay sending the House-passed articles of impeachment — which accuse him of abuse of power in his dealings with Ukraine and obstruction of Congress — to the Senate until she sees what the rules will look like for the impeachment trial in the upper chamber.

Pelosi has expressed concerns that the GOP-controlled Senate, which is widely expected to acquit Trump, will not hold a fair trial. Trump was asked Tuesday whether he was concerned she could hold the articles indefinitely.

“We’re in a very good position. Ultimately that decision is going to be made by [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell,” Trump said. “He has the right to do whatever he wants. He’s the head of the Senate.”

“People remember they treated us very unfairly,” Trump claimed of House Democrats. “Now they come to the Senate and they want everything.”

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) has pushed McConnell to call witnesses, including acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, so they can testify about the administration’s decision to temporarily withhold nearly $400 million in military aid to Ukraine. House Democrats have accused Trump of using the assistance as a cudgel to pressure Kyiv to announce investigations that could benefit him politically, which the administration has denied. McConnell (R-Ky.) has rejected Schumer’s request.

Trump argued Tuesday that he wasn’t afforded due process or allowed legal representation during impeachment proceedings in the House and criticized its Intelligence Committee for holding closed-door hearings “in a basement.” He also claimed without offering evidence that Democrats selectively leaked material from the private hearings.

The House Intelligence Committee eventually held public hearings with witnesses who detailed aspects of the administration’s policy toward and dealings with Ukraine, though Trump’s team was not invited to participate.

The House Judiciary Committee offered Trump’s lawyers the opportunity to take part in hearings that debated articles of impeachment, but the White House refused, accusing Democrats of a partisan exercise.

“We have a perfect case. They have no case,” Trump insisted Tuesday.

“Now we have the majority and it’s up to Mitch McConnell,” the president continued. “They want Mitch McConnell to do wonderful things for them. He’s going to do what he wants to do, very smart guy, very good guy, and a very fair guy. But they treated us very unfairly and they want fairness in the Senate.”

The House voted nearly along party lines last Wednesday to approve the two articles of impeachment against Trump, setting the stage for a Senate trial likely sometime in January. Pelosi’s decision to delay transmitting the articles, however, has called the timeline into question.

Trump, who is on a two-week vacation at his Florida resort, also lashed out at impeachment in a series of tweets earlier Tuesday. He characterized commentary on Fox News about the subject and claimed Democrats only approved the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement — a key priority of his administration — to show they could do “something productive” amid impeachment.

Trump has repeatedly lashed out at Pelosi, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and other top Democrats throughout the impeachment inquiry, calling the Speaker “crazy” and complaining about the potential trial delay during a speech to young conservatives over the weekend.