Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Tuesday defended House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) failure to transmit two articles of impeachment to the upper chamber, contending the Speaker wanted to “see the arena” and as a result “prevented a quick acquittal” of the president.

Schumer defended Pelosi’s decision to hold on to the impeachment articles, arguing that she did so in order to “see the arena in which she was playing.”

“She wanted to see the arena in which she was playing when it came to a trial so she could appoint impeachment managers,” Schumer stated.

“Now it’s becoming clear that Mitch McConnell will do whatever he can to avoid a fair trial, so she has some idea of what’s happening,” he added.

Schumer added that Pelosi’s refusal to immediately send the articles “prevented a quick acquittal,” as reported by Fox News’s Chad Pergram:

Schumer on Pelosi holding the impeachment articles: She has some idea what is happening. By not sending immediately, she prevented a quick acquittal and bolstered the case for witnesses and documents. She’s accomplished a great deal — Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) January 7, 2020

While the Senate GOP has enough support to effectively block the Democrats’ immediate demands for witnesses and reports signals that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is prepared to start an impeachment trial without a deal with Democrats, Schumer vowed to continue to press for his demands.

“If you’re afraid of the facts, if you’re afraid of what will come out, if you want to cover it up even in something as weighty and serious as impeachment, you say no witnesses and no documents,” Schumer told reporters on Tuesday.

“Witnesses and documents? Fair trial. No witnesses and no documents? A coverup,” he proclaimed.

Both Sens. Susan Collins’ (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski’s (R-AK) calls for an impeachment trial in the mold of Clinton’s 1999 trial secure the Senate GOP’s position of power moving forward.