Impeachment delays show Nancy Pelosi is scared: Donald Trump

Donald Trump levelled the accusation at the Democrat house speaker, saying the trial process was unfair.

Donald Trump has accused Democrat house speaker Nancy Pelosi of being scared to send her impeachment case to the Senate after she delayed the move, saying the trial process was unfair.

The move came amid bitter recriminations between Republicans and Democrats after the bruising impeachment debate which led to Mr Trump becoming the third US president to be impeached.

Republican Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell accused the Democrats of setting “a toxic new precedent” in politics with their decision to impeach the president.

“This particular House of Representatives has let its partisan rage at this particular president create a toxic new precedent that will echo well into the future,” Mr McConnell said in a Senate speech.

“(It was) the most rushed, least thorough, and most unfair impeachment inquiry in modern history.”

Ms Pelosi further angered Republicans Friday (AEDT) by saying she would not send articles of impeachment to the Senate until she received more information about how a trial would be conducted.

US President Donald Trump. Picture: AP

“We’d like to see a fair process, but we’ll see what they have and will be ready for whatever it is,” she said. Ms Pelosi had said Thursday (AEDT) that the process appeared to be unfair.

The Senate is expected to acquit Mr Trump in a trial, but it cannot conduct a trial until the house sends articles of impeachment.

By delaying sending the articles to the Senate, the Democrats hope to secure more favourable rules for the trial.

The move triggered speculation that the Democrats may even be flirting with the idea of not having a Senate trial at all, a move which would deny the president the opportunity to be acquitted in a trial.

However Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler said the Democrats were “not playing games” with impeachment and the articles would eventually be transmitted.

Mr Trump responded by accusing Mr Pelosi of being scared to sent the case to the Senate.

“Pelosi feels her phony impeachment HOAX is so pathetic she is afraid to present it to the Senate, which can set a date and put this whole SCAM into default if they refuse to show up! The Do Nothings are so bad for our Country!” he tweeted.

Pelosi feels her phony impeachment HOAX is so pathetic she is afraid to present it to the Senate, which can set a date and put this whole SCAM into default if they refuse to show up! The Do Nothings are so bad for our Country!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2019

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham said “If House Dems refuse to send Articles of Impeachment to the Senate for trial it would be a breathtaking violation of the Constitution, an act of political cowardice, and fundamentally unfair to President @realdonaldTrump.”

Mr McConnell said “looks like the prosecutors are getting cold feet.”

Ms Pelosi said she believed Mr Trump’s impeachment on two articles of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress had put a spring in the step of many Americans.

“We’ve been hearing from people all over the country,” she said. “Seems like people have a spring in their step because the president was held accountable for his reckless behaviour,” she said.

“I have a spring in my step because of the moral courage of our caucus.”

She also sent a letter to house Democrats thanking them for the impeachment vote.

“We have defended democracy For The People: honouring the vision of our Founders for a Republic, the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform to defend it and the aspirations of our children to live freely within it,” she wrote.

Mr Trump said he didn’t feel like he had been impeached.

“I don’t feel like I’m being impeached because it’s a hoax. It’s a set up. It’s a terrible thing they did,” he said.

Earlier he tweeted “I got Impeached last night without one Republican vote being cast with the Do Nothing Dems on their continuation of the greatest Witch Hunt in American history. Now the Do Nothing Party want to Do Nothing with the Articles & not deliver them to the Senate, but it’s Senate’s call!”

Republicans have not yet finalised the process of the Senate trial which is expected to begin next month.

Democrats want to call new witnesses including acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney but Mr McConnell has said he does not want new witnesses.

Democrat Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer attacked Mr McConnell’s opposition to new witnesses.

“Is the president’s case so weak that none of the president’s men can defend him under oath?” Mr Schumer said. “If the House’s case is so weak, why is Leader McConnell so afraid of witnesses and documents?”

Cameron Stewart is also US Contributor for Sky News Australia