[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 205 (Wednesday, December 18, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7124-S7125]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Impeachment

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, all eyes today are on the House of 
Representatives. The country is waiting to see whether these House 
Democrats will give in to the temptation that every other House in 
modern history has managed to resist and misuse the solemn process of 
impeachment to blow off partisan steam. I will have more to say on this 
subject if House Democrats do, in fact, proceed.
  Yesterday I came to the floor to discuss one initial aspect of this 
that concerns our Senate process. Over the weekend, my colleague the 
Democratic leader began asking the Senate to break from precedent, 
break with the unanimous template from 1999, and begin choreographing 
the middle of a potential trial before we have even heard opening 
arguments.
  Back in 1999, all 100 Senators agreed on a simple pretrial resolution 
that set up a briefing, opening arguments, Senators' questions, and a 
vote on a motion to dismiss. Senators reserved all other questions, 
such as witnesses, until the trial was underway. That was the unanimous 
bipartisan precedent from 1999. Put first things first, lay the 
bipartisan groundwork and leave midtrial questions to the middle of the 
trial.
  I have hoped, and still hope, that the Democratic leader and I can 
sit down and reproduce that unanimous bipartisan agreement this time. 
His decision to try to angrily negotiate through the press is 
unfortunate, but no amount of bluster will change the simple fact that 
we already have a unanimous bipartisan precedent. If 100 Senators

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thought this approach was good enough for President Clinton, it ought 
to be good enough for President Trump.
  I hope House Democrats see reason to pull back from the precipice, 
but if they proceed, I hope the Democratic leader and I can sit down 
soon and honor the template that was unanimously agreed to the last 
time.
  Mr. President, on another matter, in the meantime, the Senate is busy 
completing the legislation our country actually needs. Yesterday the 
Senate passed the NDAA conference report and put it on President 
Trump's desk. Thanks to the diligence of Chairman Inhofe and Ranking 
Member Reed, this critical legislation to support our armed services 
will become law for a 59th consecutive year.