Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said on Tuesday that Republicans may seek to dismiss impeachment charges against President Donald Trump after hearing opening statements in a Senate trial.

McConnell made the remarks from the Senate floor Tuesday afternoon. The Majority Leader said that he was using the 1999 Senate trial of President Bill Clinton as a model for a proposed trial of Trump.

In doing so, McConnell suggested that a motion to dismiss would be put forth by Republicans after opening statements.

BREAKING: Mitch McConnell just said that the Senate will dismiss impeachment after opening arguments.



Take that, Dems. — Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) December 17, 2019

“By any ordinary legal standard, what House Democrats have assembled would appear to be woefully, woefully inadequate to prove what they want to allege,” McConnell said. “The House should not impeach on this basis in the first place.”

McConnell also rejected the idea that the Senate would hear from witnesses as has been proposed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).