they want and a whole lot of things that nobody wants at their fingertips on their phones. earlier today several senators came to the floor to discuss the impeachment proceedings against president trump. we begin with majority leader mitch mcconnell. >> versus morning want to associate myself with the statement made yesterday by one of our distinguished colleagues about the house democrats treating impeachment like a political toy. here's what the senator said. this is serious and urgent. send them over. if it isn't, don't. that madam president with her senior senator fromro california the ranking member of the judiciary committee.

she wasn't alone. quote it's time to get on with it. after the jr. senator from delaware quote at some point them and pass the baton to senators. democratic khalid the senior senator from connecticut quote i think the time has passed. she should send the articles. democratic colleague is the junior senator from connecticut. now this is a challenging time to create bipartisan agreement in the senate on any subject but the speaker of the house has managed to do the impossible. she has created this bipartisan unity in the senate in opposition to her own this behavior. senators may not agree on much

but it appears most of us still recognize the threat to restitution when we see one. article i, section 3 says the senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachment period. the house can begin the process and speaker pelosi's majority has certainly done that but the senate alone can resolve it. and yet for weeks now the house majority is locked the senate from fulfilling our constitutional duty in a breaking display of partisanship. the speaker is refused a letter on allegations proceed normally to trial unless she gets various elements of our senate process. in other words the house democrats have already spent 12 weeks undermining the institution of the presidency

with a historically unfair and subjective impeachment and now they have come after the institution of the senate as well. that's where we are. the dwindling number of ours colleagues who've made complicit in those must realize what they are doing. the future house majority wasting time with jr. for city political hostage situations. should future speakers be prudent to conjure up this demo plays at will and leave it hanging over the senate unless we do what they say? of course not. this week the majority of the senate step forward to make it perfectly clear that this conversation is over. the majority of this body has said definitively that we are not ceding our constitutional authority.

they will not let the house extent it's precedent breaking spree over in our chamber. there will be no unfair new rulebook written solely for president trump. the basic organization of the first phase of this trial will track the clinton trial00 was al 170 voted for in 1999. it said are months that is our preferred route. and by the way madam madam president that's exactly what the american people want. 77% told the harvard harris survey that the basic outline the basic outline of the clinton trial were serving the witness question until later in a proceeding ought to be good enough for this president as well. fair is fair. in the same survey 58% of americans say they want speaker pelosi to do a her job and send the article to the senate rather than continue to ignore it.

makes sense madam president that american families have lost patience and as senators of the lost patience with it because this is not some intramural tiff between the two houses and a bicameral legislature. it's wrecked with news that affects our entire country. when you take a step back what has really happened over the last three weeks? what has happened? when you take a step back from the political noise and the pundits discussing leverage by the way that never existed what have house democrats actually done? this madam president is what they have initiated one of the most grave and most unsettling processes in our constitution and then refuse to allow a

resolution of it. the speaker began something that she herself ridiculously so the monster to the country and now she is in a latterly said they cannot move forward as a resolution. it's bad enough that house democrats gave into the temptation of subjective impeachment that every previous house for 230 years has managed to resist. however unwise that is their constitutional prerogative. they get to start it if they choose but they do not get to declare that it can never be finished. they do not get to trap our entire country into an unending groundhog day of impeachment without resolution. alexander hamilton specifically warned against it are crass and aiding resolution of impeachment

in part that is because the duly elected president deserves a verdict just like every american who is accused by their government deserves a speedy trial. but look this goes deeper than fairness of one individual. this is about what is fair for the entire country. there is a reason why the primaries did not contemplate a permanently unsettled precedent. that is true a under any circumstance but considerci especially the circumstances of recent days. even if the democrats or prolong this game we have seen iran escalate tensions with our nation. we live in a dangerous world. the house majority can create a temporary cloud over our commander in chief if they choose, if they choose but they

do not get to keep the cloud in place forever. there is real business for the american people that the united states senate needs to complete. if this secret continues to take her on accusations to trial the senate will move forward next week but the business of our people. we will operate on the assumption that health democrats are too embarrassed to ever move forward. and we willet get back to the people's business. for example the senate continues to process president trump's landmark trade guilty usmca there are committees of jurisdiction. it passed the senate finance committee this week by a landslide vote of 25-3 a major victory for the president and for working families. now whether committees will continue their consideration and there is more. the epidemic of opioids,

fentanyl and other p substance abuse continues to plague our nation did some colleagues have signaled they may raise privilege resolutions on war powers for the senate has wanted serious work to do for our country so well the speaker continues her irresponsible game we willll continue doing the people's business. >> now on impeachment first i have to respond to leader mcconnell's hyperbolic accusations. the speaker is trying to do tape the terms of the trial. other public and leader must be a city cannot exert total control over this process that speaker pelosi has done just the right thing. i can understand why leader mcconnell was so frustrated critics as vigorous and the articles of impeachment over to the senate immediately after they passed