Mitch McConnell has been tight-lipped in public about how he plans to handle Donald Trump’s impeachment once it comes before him in the Senate, but behind the scenes he’s reportedly made his preference clear: a speedy trial that keeps Trump in office and limits the damage for Republicans heading into 2020. For a president with no credible defense and a tough reelection battle looming, that would seem to be an ideal strategy. And yet, Trump apparently isn’t a fan of McConnell’s plan. Though he’s obviously agitated at the prospect of a trail, he has reportedly made plain to his aides that he wants Republican Senators to use the occasion to mount a big, theatrical defense—witnesses and all.

The tension between president and majority leader underlies Republicans’ strategy for fielding an impeachment hearing in the Senate. And as Democrats move forward with their plan for a House vote, it appears as though McConnell’s side could win out. “I think a protracted period where there are motions to call witnesses offered by both sides and lots of votes…is not going to be terribly popular with either side,” Senator John Thune, the No. 2 Republican, told reporters, according to the Hill. “I think there’s going to be a desire to wrap this up in at least somewhat of a timely way.” GOP Senator Roy Blunt noted, “surely no one wants to get into a bidding war of upping the ante on who can call what witnesses, just for the sake of calling witnesses.”

Even Lindsey Graham, an outspoken Trump ally, said he wants to end the inquiry “as quickly as possible.” When asked about the possibility of a witness-less trial, he responded, “I hope so.” Why, the thinking goes, call Adam Schiff, Hunter Biden, or the whistleblower, as Trump reportedly wants to do, and risk Democrats compelling the testimonies of Mike Pence or Mike Pompeo, drawing more top administration officials deeper into the mix?

This logic is reportedly lost on the president, who has grown frustrated watching as career diplomats, his own officials, and legal experts sound off on his abuses of power, CNN reported this week. Per CNN, this strategy is not so much designed to clear Trump in the Senate, where Republicans are already all but certain to protect him, but instead to “turn [the trial] into a spectacle, which he thinks is his best chance to hurt Democrats in the election.” White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham echoed this sentiment in a tweet on Tuesday after Schiff, Nancy Pelosi, and Jerrold Nadler unveiled articles of impeachment, writing that Democrats’ “behavior is shameful, but this will only serve to further unify our party.”

How the Senate trial ultimately plays out remains to be seen. Trump hasn’t exactly been consistent on the matter; if McConnell catches Trump in the right mood, he may get the quick, witness-free trial he wants, finish this thing in January, and turn his attention to the elections next November. If not, he may have to play ringleader in Trump’s circus—whether he likes it or not.

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