Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday rebuffed Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's requests for an impeachment trial framework that includes testimony from four witnesses and documents related to President Donald Trump's dealings with Ukraine.

The Kentucky Republican argued that Schumer was trying to "short circuit" the two leaders' negotiations by releasing a written request to the press before holding an in-person meeting. Still, both McConnell and Schumer indicated Tuesday they want to meet soon to iron out the details even as they criticized each other for publicly speaking about the format of a Senate trial.

"The trajectory that the Democratic leader apparently wants to take us down before he has even heard opening arguments could set a nightmarish precedent for our institution. If the Senate volunteers ourselves to do House Democrats' homework for them, we will only incentivize an endless stream of dubious partisan impeachments in the future, and we will invite future Houses to paralyze future Senates with frivolous impeachment at will," McConnell said in a floor speech.

Schumer wrote a letter to McConnell on Sunday saying that he'd like four witnesses to testify: acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, former national security adviser John Bolton, senior adviser to Mulvaney Robert Blair and Office of Management and Budget staffer Michael Duffey. Schumer also requested documents that have been blocked by the Trump administration.

Democrats are poised this week to impeach Trump over allegations that he pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to open political investigations that would benefit his reelection and used as leverage military aid and a White House meeting that had long been sought by the Ukrainian leader. Schumer said the requested witnesses should testify because they have "direct knowledge" about why the military aid to Ukraine was temporarily withheld.

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A resolution setting the trial rules needs a simple majority of 51 senators to pass, meaning that Republicans can only afford to lose two senators. But a vote to convict and remove Trump from office would need two-thirds of the Senate, or 67 senators, making it a long-shot in the GOP-led chamber.

McConnell, who has said there will be "total coordination" with the White House counsel on the format of the trial, argued that it's not the responsibility of the Senate to help build an impeachment case for the House. Republicans have repeatedly criticized House Democrats for not going to court to enforce their subpoenas and compel testimony from White House officials.

"It's the House's obligation to build an iron-clad case to act, end quote. If they fail, they fail. It's not the Senate's job to leap into the breach and search desperately for ways to get to guilty. That would hardly be impartial justice," McConnell said.

Following McConnell's floor speech, Schumer mounted his defense that his letter was "intended as a good-faith proposal to kick-start" the negotiations. The New York Democrat said he still anticipates sitting down with McConnell even though his Republican colleague already spoke about coordinating with the White House on the trial parameters.