Update: Smith has backpedaled in a Thursday tweet, saying "I misspoke this morning, I do believe we should do everything we can to force the Senate to have a fair trial. If the Speaker believes that holding on to the articles for a longer time will help force a fair trial in the Senate, then I wholeheartedly support that decision."

I am concerned that Senator McConnell won’t have a fair trial and I am with the Speaker that we should do everything we can to ensure he does. Ultimately, I do want the articles sent to the Senate for the very simple reason that I want the impeachment process to go forward. — Rep. Adam Smith (@RepAdamSmith) January 9, 2020

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A top House Democrat, Rep. Adam Smith (WA) said on Thursday that "it is time" for Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to deliver supposedly urgent impeachment articles to the Senate so they can get on with the business of acquitting President Trump.

Pelosi's refusal to transmit the articles until GOP leaders in the Senate agree to her terms for a trial has created an impasse - a strategy which an increasing number of Congressional Democrats have asked her to abandon.

"I understand what the speaker is trying to do, basically trying to use the leverage of that to work with Democratic and Republican senators to try to get a reasonable trial, a trial that would actually show evidence, bring out witnesses," Smith told CNN. "But at the end of the day, just like we control it in the House, Mitch McConnell controls it in the Senate."

Now it's happening in the House. Chairman breaks with Speaker over withholding articles. https://t.co/5vng4defLA — Byron York (@ByronYork) January 9, 2020

As we noted on Wednesday, Senate Democrats, including Dianne Feinstein, Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy have made similar comments in recent days.

"If we’re going to do it, she should send them over. I don’t see what good delay does," said Feinstein, who also told Politico "The longer it goes on the less urgent it becomes."

"So if it’s serious and urgent, send them over. If it isn’t, don’t send it over."

Senate Majority Leader McConnell - who has promised a speedy acquittal of Trump - said during a Wednesday speech on the Senate floor: "There will no haggling with the House over Senate procedure," adding "We will not cede our authority to try this impeachment."

President Trump, meanwhile, has taken to Twitter to berate Pelosi for failing to move forward with the articles, writing on Thursday "Pelosi doesn’t want to hand over The Articles of Impeachment, which were fraudulently produced by corrupt politicians like Shifty Schiff in the first place, because after all of these years of investigations and persecution, they show no crimes and are a joke and a scam!"

Pelosi doesn’t want to hand over The Articles of Impeachment, which were fraudulently produced by corrupt politicians like Shifty Schiff in the first place, because after all of these years of investigations and persecution, they show no crimes and are a joke and a scam! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2020

Trump later added: "remember her “speed & rush” in getting the Impeachment Hoax voted on & done. Well, she never sent the Articles to the Senate. Just another Democrat fraud."