A majority of Americans think the Senate should convict President Donald Trump and have him removed from office, according to a new poll conducted by CNN. The survey questioned nearly 1,200 people from January 16 to 19. The poll was released January 20, the day before the impeachment trial began.
Th results, however, were polarized when they were broken down by political party. 89 percent of Democrats, 8 percent of Republicans and 48 percent of Independents said the president should be forced to resign from his position.
Originally, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell only allotted two working days for Republicans and Democrats to argue their cases. He has since lessened his restriction, giving each side three days—for a total of 24 hours—to state their arguments.
The rules were changed after Senate Republicans, like Susan Collins of Maine, took issue with McConnell’s actions. "She and others raised concerns about the 24 hours of opening statements in 2 days and the admission of the House transcript [in] the record. Her position has been that the trial should follow the Clinton model as much as possible," spokeswoman Annie Clark said, according to Politico.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called McConnell’s actions "one of the darker moments in the Senate's history. Perhaps even the darkest." Though a majority of Americans want to hear new witnesses give testimony at the Senate impeachment trial, McConnell does not want anyone new to speak during the hearing.
“McConnell’s very resolution puts many obstacles in the path of getting witnesses and documents even later,” Schumer said during a press conference on January 21, the first day of the hearing. “Right off the bat Republican senators will face a choice about getting the facts or joining Leader McConnell and President Trump in trying to cover them up.”
