Senate GOP is mulling weaponizing Trump's impeachment trial against 6 Democratic presidential candidates

Senators are expecting the House to impeach President Trump, and Senate Republicans are skeptical they have the 51 votes to dismiss the probable articles of impeachment without a trial. But some GOP senators are privately discussing a way to turn their lemons into lemonade by pushing for "a lengthy impeachment trial beginning in January to scramble the Democratic presidential race — potentially keeping six contenders in Washington until the eve of the Iowa caucuses or longer," The Washington Post reports.

Senate Republicans discussed the impeachment process at their weekly closed-door lunch meeting Wednesday, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) "had little guidance for his ranks, outside of saying the trial will go on as long as the Senate wants it to run," the Post reports.

Using the trial to mess with the Democratic presidential race "might be a strategy," teased Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), "but I'll leave that up to others. I'm just a lowly worker." Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) added that "Pete Buttigieg and Joe Biden might like that," since it would negatively affect fellow top-tier candidates Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), but the Senate will try to distinguish itself "by doing this right," likely with a trial lasting five to six weeks. The Democratic candidates had expected some quality campaign time before the Feb. 3 Iowa caucuses and Feb. 11 New Hampshire primary.

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Sanders acknowledged Sunday that a trial that cuts into the primaries and caucuses "will make our life a little bit more difficult." Warren said Wednesday that adjudicating the impeachment articles is one of a senator's "constitutional responsibilities" and "if the House goes forward and sends impeachment over to the Senate, then I will be there for the trial."

Republicans are split on strategy. Some Trump allies want the impeachment trial dispatched quickly while Republicans facing tough re-election battles next year want to be seen taking the impeachment process seriously. Read more at The Washington Post.