One of the names that always pop up in Senate battles is that of Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).
Even though she is a Republican, she represents a more moderate base and will often go against the party and President Trump.
That being the case, it was not all that surprising to see her call out Senator McConnell (R-KY) saying that he was cooperating with the White House on how to conduct a Senate impeachment trial.
Crossing the Line
For the most part, Republicans have been united in how to approach this impeachment.
The bulk of our elected GOP representatives in the House and Senate do not believe the threshold for impeachment has anywhere near been proven.
As such, a large majority of the Senators have already stated they would prefer the impeachment to get put to a vote after opening arguments.
The general opinion is that if that happens, the charges will be dropped and the impeachment will be over.
McConnell has already met with Trump on how he wants to go about it, which has “disturbed” Senator Murkowski.
She recently stated, “When I heard that I was disturbed.
“To me it means that we have to take that step back from being hand in glove with the defense, and so I heard what leader McConnell had said, I happened to think that that has further confused the process.”
She further stated, “For me to prejudge and say there’s nothing there or on the other hand, he should be impeached yesterday, that’s wrong, in my view, that’s wrong.
“If it means that I am viewed as one who looks openly and critically at every issue in front of me, rather than acting as a rubber stamp for my party or my president, I’m totally good with that.”
Personally, I don’t see how anyone could see a prejudgment has been made because the House had a chance to make a case, and it failed to do so.
Where Is She Leaning?
Honestly, it is tough to get a read on how Murkowski sees things right now, but she has been openly frustrated with how Pelosi has conducted the impeachment.
Murkowski stated, “Speaker Pelosi was very clear, very direct that her goal was to get this done before Christmas.”
She also added, “If the House truly believes that they had information that was going to be important, they subpoena them, and if they ignore the subpoena — as they did, at the direction of the White House — then that next step is to go to the courts.”
That is a sentiment that has been echoed among Senators that normally do not seek out the limelight, such as Senator Ron Johnson from Wisconsin.
He stated, “I just think it’s kind of bizarre they had to rush to this impeachment vote, and then all of a sudden she’s sitting on it.
“I don’t think the Senate should be making the case the House should have made in their presentation.
“My guess is they weren’t able to make the case.”
Not only have they not made their case, but now Nancy Pelosi is playing a waiting game hoping that something else will pop up that can be added to the articles.
While I understand the idea of having a full trial, which is what Trump actually wants, I also understand the frustration by Republicans in wanting to just get this over with because so much time and money has already been wasted.
