Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), the House majority whip, spoke with CNN’s host John Berman the day after House Democrats voted on two articles to impeach President Donald Trump.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), however, suggested she may delay sending the articles of impeachment to the Senate. “We can’t name managers until we see what the process is on the Senate side, and I would hope that would be soon. So far, we haven’t seen anything that looks fair to us,” Pelosi told reporters.
Asked why the delay, Rep. Clyburn said, “Delay is made necessary because the majority in the Senate has made it very clear that he’s not gonna be impartial. He’s not gonna be fair. He will collude if you please– with the White House, at least the White House’s attorneys.”
“So I applaud her,” he said of Speaker Pelosi. “In fact, I was one of the ones arguing that this could be the case. And until we can get some assurance from the Majority Leader, where he is gonna allow for a fair and impartial trial to take place, we would be crazy to walk in there knowing he set up a kangaroo court.”
Asked how long he is willing to wait, Clyburn replied, “As long as it takes. Even if he doesn’t come around, to commit to a fair trial, keep those articles here– keep it as long as it takes. If you know– if he told you what he’s gonna do, like ‘Let’s give him a fair trial and hang him.’ I mean, it’s the reverse of that.”
When asked if he would hold the articles indefinitely, Clyburn said, “If it were me, yes, that’s what I’m saying. … If you have a preordained outcome that’s negative to your actions, why walk into it? I’d much rather not take that chance. (Continued Below)
Donald Trump Jr. appeared to blast Rep. Clyburn over his “hang him” impeachment metaphor, saying that the far left is “absolutely deranged”.
“This is how absolutely deranged the far left is. Their hatred knows no bounds,” Donald Trump Jr. tweeted.
“They know they can’t beat @realDonaldTrump, as they literally offer nothing to America only failed policies that have done nothing for decades other than make people dependent on big government,” he added. (Video Below)
Rep. James Clyburn’s interview:
.@johnberman: “Are you suggesting it's possible you will never transmit the articles of impeachment [to the Senate]?”
Rep. Clyburn: “If it were me, yes, that's what I'm saying.” https://t.co/fpW0Jcup3o pic.twitter.com/VcU8vFh2f9
— New Day (@NewDay) December 19, 2019
Donald Trump Jr.’s official tweet:
This is how absolutely deranged the far left is. Their hatred knows no bounds. They know they can’t beat @realDonaldTrump, as they literally offer nothing to America only failed policies that have done nothing for decades other than make people dependent on big government. https://t.co/1P8DCS3d0V
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) December 19, 2019
(Continued Below)
Oliver Darcy at CNN, however, defended Rep. Clyburn and wrote on Twitter, “That’s not what happened. Clyburn was making the point that he doesn’t think McConnell will run a fair trial because of the comments he’s made. Clyburn compared it to someone saying ahead of a trial, ‘Let’s give him a trial and hang him.’ He said it’s like ‘the reverse of that.”
That's not what happened. Clyburn was making the point that he doesn't think McConnell will run a fair trial because of the comments he's made. Clyburn compared it to someone saying ahead of a trial, "Let's give him a trial and hang him." He said it's like "the reverse of that." https://t.co/SCg6ovGllx
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) December 19, 2019
(Related: Mitch McConnell: ‘House Democrats May Be Too Afraid To Even Transmit Their Work Product To The Senate’)
