McConnell reportedly believes Trump committed impeachable offenses

Mitch McConnell.
(Image credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has told associates he believes President Trump's actions related to last week's deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol are an impeachable offense, The New York Times reports. And while he was ready to shoot down the House's first Trump impeachment last year, this time around he's reportedly happy the Democrats are moving forward.

It isn't clear whether McConnell will actually vote to convict Trump, who he reportedly does not intend on speaking with again, but it does suggest he views a second impeachment trial — regardless of the outcome — as a way to weaken the outgoing president and "purge" him from the Republican Party. In addition to his anger about the riot, McConnell also evidently blames Trump for costing the GOP its Senate majority for at least the next two years after the Democrats picked up both Georgia seats last week.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.