Sunday shows – Impeachment stalemate dominates

An impasse in the impeachment proceedings against President Trump dominated the political talk shows on Sunday morning.

Republicans attacked Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for delaying the transfer of House-passed articles of impeachment to the Republican-controlled Senate, where Trump faces a trial.

{mosads}Democrats, however, supported Pelosi’s decision, saying she needs to ensure a fair trial in the upper chamber.

Read The Hill’s complete coverage below.

Pelosi doesn’t have the right to stall articles of impeachment, Republican senator says By REBECCA KLAR   Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) said Sunday he does not think Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has the power to hold the articles of impeachment the House passed last week from the Senate. Read the full story here

GOP senator calls Pelosi’s withholding of impeachment articles ‘bizarre’ after ‘rush’ to vote By JUSTINE COLEMAN   Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) called Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) withholding of the articles of impeachment from the Senate “bizarre” after a “rush” to vote on the impeachment of President Trump in the House. Read the full story here

Pence chief of staff says he’s ‘confident’ Pelosi will yield on articles of impeachment By ZACK BUDRYK    Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff Marc Short expressed confidence Sunday that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will eventually send the House-passed articles of impeachment to the Senate without extracting concessions from the GOP-controlled upper chamber. Read the full story here

Short says Trump was impeached ‘because he’s winning in so many ways’ By JUSTINE COLEMAN   “He won on taxes, the economy is booming, there’s record low unemployment, the military is getting refunded, we’re striking new trade deals,” Marc Short, Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, said. Read the full story here

Fox’s Wallace presses Short on Ukraine 2016 conspiracy theories By ZACK BUDRYK   “It doesn’t have to be an either-or,” Marc Short said on “Fox News Sunday” when questioned on whether President Trump continues to believe Ukraine interfered in the elections. Read the full story here

Pelosi ‘doing exactly the right thing’ withholding articles of impeachment, Senate Democrat says By REBECCA KLAR   “Speaker Pelosi is doing exactly the right thing,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “She is focusing a spotlight on the need to have a fair trial in the United States Senate.”  Read the full story here

Senate Democrat: Not unreasonable for Pelosi to wait to transfer impeachment articles By JUSTINE COLEMAN    “She’s not going to hold these forever,” Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.) said. “We’re going to see these relatively soon, but I don’t think it’s unfair to ask, ‘What are the rules that we’re playing by, when we go and we get this over here?’ ” Read the full story here

Durbin: Democrats and Republicans have ‘gone too far’ saying how they’ll vote before impeachment trial By REBECCA KLAR    Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said on Sunday that senators on both sides of the aisle should not be commenting on how they’ll vote at the end of the looming Senate impeachment trial before the process concludes.  Read the full story here

Graham says he doesn’t think any senators will vote to compel testimony from Mulvaney, Bolton By ZACK BUDRYK   Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) predicted no senators would vote to compel testimony in President Trump’s impeachment trial from current and former White House officials for whom the administration has invoked executive privilege. Read the full story here

Van Drew: Final straw on party switch was NJ county chairman telling me I ‘have to’ vote for impeachment By ZACK BUDRYK   Rep. Jeff Van Drew (N.J.) said Sunday that he made the decision to switch party affiliation from Democratic to Republican after a New Jersey county party chairman told him he would face political consequences if he did not vote in favor of impeachment. Read the full story here

Klobuchar doubles down on Buttigieg attack: ‘Experience does matter’ By REBECCA KLAR    Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) again hit fellow 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg on Sunday, defending her experience as a Washington lawmaker.  Read the full story here

Klobuchar: Democrats ‘have to debate’ before Iowa caucuses despite Senate impeachment trial By REBECCA KLAR    Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said Sunday that the Democratic White House hopefuls must debate again before the Iowa caucuses despite a looming Senate impeachment trial that would involve her and a handful of her 2020 primary opponents.  Read the full story here

Booker says he wants to beat Trump ‘mano a mano,’ face him on debate floor By JUSTINE COLEMAN   “As a guy who is a big competitor, I want to beat Donald Trump mano a mano, I want to face him down on a debate floor,” Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), a 2020 White House hopeful, said. Read the full story here

Dingell: I would rather people ‘take a deep breath and think going forward’ than get an apology from Trump By ZACK BUDRYK   Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) said on Sunday that she did not want an apology from President Trump over comments he made suggesting her late husband John was not in heaven, saying she would instead prefer people “take a deep breath and think going forward that their words have consequences.” Read the full story here