Americans Overwhelmingly Support Impeachment Trial Witnesses in Latest Bipartisan Polling

The impeachment trial of Donald Trump has begun in earnest this week, after a brief pause caused by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s bizarre stalling stunt.

Madam Speaker had been withholding the articles of impeachment from the Senate, refusing to transmit the necessary documents to the Senate until after the holiday break, in an attempt to either gain leverage over Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell or to put extra pressure on GOP Congresspersons while they relaxed at home among their friends, family, and constituents.

In either case, the unprecedented stagnation eventually ended, (as it was always designed to), and we are now underway in the Senate, where the aforementioned McConnell will be calling the shots.

The Kentucky Senator has been inundated with request by the Democrats to call witnesses during the trial – something that McConnell has largely rebuked.  A new poll, however, may make that position much more difficult to maintain. 

The poll showed that Republicans and Democrats want to see people like Bolton and Pompeo tell the Senate what they know about the administration’s policies in Ukraine.

About 72% agreed that the trial “should allow witnesses with firsthand knowledge of the impeachment charges to testify,” including 84% of Democrats and 69% of Republicans. And 70% of the public, including 80% of Democrats and 73% of Republicans, said senators should “act as impartial jurors” during the trial.

About 40% of Americans said they had a favorable view of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, while 60% said they have an unfavorable view of him.

The poll showed that two out of three Americans are paying attention to the proceedings, with Democrats more interested than Republicans.

About 12% said they plan to watch the trial every day, while 17% planned to watch a few times a week, and 36% said they would check in on the trial afterward through news reports.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, one of the possible witnesses being floated by the GOP, has already indicated that he is not interested whatsoever in appearing before the Senate.