Trump Impeachment: President Calls Pelosi 'Most Overrated Person I Know'

President Trump on Tuesday attacked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as the “most overrated person I know” in the latest in a series of vitriolic tweets in the wake of the House impeachment vote.

The House voted along party lines to adopt articles of impeachment against Trump Dec. 18, accusing him of abusing the power of his office for personal gain and blocking congressional investigation of his actions. Since then, however, Pelosi has declined to transmit the accusations to the Senate for trial.

Trump is accused of attempting to strong-arm Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky into investigating former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden to dig up political dirt Trump could use against him in the 2020 presidential campaign.

Trump repeated his refrain that Democrats have no case and chortled over GOP unity in voting against the articles.

“They produced no case so now she doesn’t want to go to the Senate. She’s all lies. Most overrated person I know!” Trump tweeted.

He also encouraged followers to “read the transcripts.”

Pelosi has said she’s waiting to see how the Senate wants to set up its trial before sending the articles of impeachment over and appointing case managers.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he favors a perfunctory trial because there’s “no chance” Trump will be convicted. He also has said he has been coordinating strategy with the White House.

Former George W. Bush staff member Brad Blakeman said on Fox News he thinks the articles of impeachment are defective on their face and should be dismissed, averting a trial.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who often expresses differences with the Republican leadership, said Monday she is open to hearing from witnesses as part of a Senate trial, something McConnell doesn’t favor. In an interview with Maine broadcasters, she said Trump’s trial should be set up the same way the trial was set up for Bill Clinton in 1999. Senators first heard each side present its case, then asked questions and finally decided whether to call witnesses.

Collins noted rules governing Clinton’s impeachment were adopted unanimously by the Senate, but “I can't imagine anything like that happening today, regrettably.”

Three witnesses were called during Clinton’s trial and were deposed. They did not testify live.

She said it’s too early to decide what witnesses, if any, should be called, and is puzzled by the House’s decision not to wait for the courts to rule on subpoenas issued for key administration officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney.

McConnell said he has heard enough and it is not up to the Senate to make up for the deficiencies in the House investigation.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., renewed his demand that four administration officials testify during the impeachment trial following a New York Times story outlining administration efforts to withhold $391 million in military aid to Ukraine unless the Biden investigation was announced by Zelensky.

“Simply put, in our fight to have key documents and witnesses in a Senate impeachment trial, these new revelations are a game changer,” Schumer told reporters Monday.

The New York Times reported Mulvaney directed the sequestration of aid, and he and adviser Robert Blair discussed the possible congressional reaction. The Times earlier reported Mulvaney sought legal justification for the action in case it became public.

"This new story shows all four witnesses we Senate Democrats have requested were intimately involved and had

direct knowledge of President Trump’s decision to cut off aid in order to benefit himself," Schumer said.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, said Tuesday the impeachment process has brought no joy to anyone. She urged Senate Republicans to choose “truth over politics” and predicted an acquittal will embolden Trump to cheat his way through the 2020 election.

https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1212074691080245249?s=20