Blumenthal: Five to 10 Republicans have ‘severe misgivings’ about McConnell strategy

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said Thursday that several of his Republican colleagues in the Senate have “severe misgivings” about Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) impeachment strategy to coordinate with the White House. 

During a Capitol News Briefing on the Connecticut Network, Blumenthal spoke on the subject of impeachment, stating that there will be pressure on McConnell from other Republican lawmakers to employ a fair strategy for the impending impeachment trial in the upper chamber of Congress. 

“I’ve talked to anywhere from five to 10 of my colleagues who have very severe misgivings about the direction that Mitch McConnell is going in denying a full, fair proceeding with witnesses and documents. My hope is that they will say publicly what Sen. Murkowski did, and really hold Mitch McConnell accountable,” he said.

Earlier this month, McConnell told the press that he “is not an impartial juror. This is a political process,” when it came to impeachment proceedings. 

He also told Fox News host Sean Hannity that he planned to coordinate with the White House counsel during the trial in the Senate. 

However, McConnell’s admission has garnered criticism from both the left and the right. Notably, moderate GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) said that she does not agree with McConnell about his impeachment strategy, adding that she was “disturbed” by the comments he made about his coordination with the White House. 

Blumenthal said he hoped that if some of his Republican colleagues had the same worries, they would come forward like Murkowski did. 

“I believe Sen. Murkowski is saying what a lot of my Republican colleagues are thinking, in fact, saying privately,” he said.

The senator concluded his remarks by stating that McConnell is “sabotaging this proceeding by saying he won’t be impartial,” echoing other Democratic criticisms.

The House voted to impeach President Trump this month on two counts: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. 

Impeachment proceedings began when a whistleblower filed an anonymous complaint to Congress, alleging that the president withheld aid from Ukraine in exchange for an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden on a July 25 call with the country’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky.