McConnell believes impeachment push will help rid Trump from the GOP, but has not said if he will vote to convict
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has indicated that he believes that impeaching President Donald Trump will make it easier to get rid of the President and Trumpism from the Republican Party, according to a source with knowledge of the matter.
Posted — Updated
Another person with direct knowledge told CNN there's a reason McConnell has been silent on impeachment as other Republicans have pushed back: he's furious about last week's attack on the US Capitol by the President's supporters, even more so that Trump has shown no contrition. His silence has been deliberate as he leaves open the option of supporting impeachment.
McConnell has made no commitments on voting to convict Trump, and wants to see the article itself before voting. It's a stark contrast to the President's first impeachment when McConnell repeatedly spoke out against Democratic intentions to hold Trump accountable for a pressure campaign on the Ukrainian government to investigate Joe Biden and his family.
McConnell has been steadily moving his conference away from Trump for weeks. While he knows they all aren't there with him, the Kentucky Republican believes the party needs to turn the page.
The New York Times was first to report on McConnell's thoughts about impeachment.
The relationship between the Senate majority leader and the President -- the two most powerful men in the Republican Party -- has essentially collapsed, multiple sources told CNN.
A source familiar with the relationship between the two men told CNN that McConnell is furious with Trump. The source said McConnell "hates" Trump for what he did last week following the attacks on the Capitol that left at least five people dead including a Capitol Hill police officer.
Trump and McConnell still have not spoken since last Wednesday's riot, a separate source familiar with the matter confirmed to CNN. Another source said the two men haven't spoken since McConnell's floor speech acknowledging Biden as President-elect in December.
McConnell couldn't get Trump on the phone when he refused to sign the stimulus bill over the Christmas week, a third source told CNN. McConnell has since told others in the wake of the stimulus circus he won't talk to Trump again.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
Copyright 2024 by Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.
