Lindsey Graham Suggests Changing Senate Rules To Start Trial Without Articles Of Impeachment

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) toyed with the idea of changing Senate rules to allow the GOP-controlled Senate to start the impeachment trial before the articles of impeachment are sent by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California).

“My goal is to start this trial in the next coming days,” Graham said on Fox’s Sunday Morning Futures. “If we don’t get the articles this week, then we need to take matters in our own hands and change the rules.”

“This thing needs to be over with in January,” he said, adding that a delay inhibits Congress’ ability to work on other legislation and prevents Trump from having a fair trial.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) said on Friday the Senate cannot proceed with a trial under its rules until it receives the articles.

Pelosi has said she would send over the articles after the impeachment managers are appointed and she knows President Donald Trump will receive a fair trial.

“So far we haven’t seen anything that looks fair to us,” Pelosi told reporters in December. “That would’ve been our intention, but we’ll see what happens over there.”

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The two articles allege abuse of power and obstruction of Congress by the President, who prevented witnesses from testifying during the House’s investigation of his actions in Ukraine.