Dem Rep. Adam Smith Recants Call for Pelosi to Send Impeachment to Senate Now: ‘I Misspoke’

Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, recanted his call for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to “send the impeachment to the Senate” now.

While Smith suggested the speaker urgently move along President Donald Trump’s articles of impeachment during a Thursday morning appearance on CNN, he quickly reversed his comments in a Twitter thread several hours after the New Day interview.

“I misspoke this morning, I do believe we should do everything we can to force the Senate to have a fair trial,” the Democratic lawmaker wrote. “If the Speaker believes that holding on to the articles for a longer time will help force a fair trial in the Senate, then I wholeheartedly support that decision.”

“I am concerned that Senator [Mitch] McConnell won’t have a fair trial and I am with the Speaker that we should do everything we can to ensure he does,” he added. “Ultimately, I do want the articles sent to the Senate for the very simple reason that I want the impeachment process to go forward.”

I am concerned that Senator McConnell won’t have a fair trial and I am with the Speaker that we should do everything we can to ensure he does. Ultimately, I do want the articles sent to the Senate for the very simple reason that I want the impeachment process to go forward.

— Rep. Adam Smith (@RepAdamSmith) January 9, 2020

In the comments he made on CNN that he has since walked back, Smith joined a number of Democratic members pushing Pelosi to move on with a trail — a step that she has delayed while attempting to negotiate with the Senate to push through a resolution outlining the rules for the Senate’s trial.

“I think it is [time],” Smith said. “I understand what the speaker was trying to do, basically trying to use the leverage of that to work with Democratic and Republican senators to try to get a reasonable trial… At this point, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.”

Watch above, via CNN.