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AFP/Getty Images Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and President Donald Trump.
President Donald Trump slammed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her handling of the impeachment process, suggesting the California Democrat was trying to run the Senate.
The president’s tweetstorm, which spanned a 12-hour period starting Christmas night, included quotes from a Republican television pundit, Brad Blakeman, who said Pelosi should recognize she has no leverage with the Senate.
“I am having to constantly defend myself against the Do Nothing Democrats and their bogus Impeachment Scam,” Trump said on Twitter.
Pelosi has delayed sending the articles of impeachment to the Senate, saying she wanted more clarity on the rules for Trump’s trial in that chamber.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Democrats are at odds over whether there should be witnesses at the trial.
Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, has asked for four witnesses, including former national-security adviser John Bolton. McConnell initially ruled out witnesses but earlier this week said he might allow a Senate vote on the issue.
Read: McConnell defends stance on impeachment
The president said that Democrats hurried the impeachment through the House but now want to go slowly. “Liars,” he tweeted.
Trump called Pelosi “Crazy Nancy” and said she should focus on cleaning up “her filthy dirty district.” He suggested another Democrat might want to challenge her for her congressional seat. The speaker’s district includes downtown San Francisco. Pelosi was re-elected in 2018 with 87% of the vote.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska, criticized both McConnell and House Democrats in the wake of the House impeachment vote. She said she was disturbed that McConnell was working closely with the White House. But Murkowski said the impeachment process in the House had been rushed.
The president tweeted pundit Blakeman’s suggestion that Senate Republicans end the impeachment trial before it starts by approving a “Motion to Dismiss.”
