Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin Slams Colleagues For Taking Sides Before Impeachment Trial Begins

Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, criticized fellow members of the upper chamber on Sunday for choosing sides in President Donald Trump‘s upcoming impeachment trial before the trial has even begun, reminding them that the Senate is to remain impartial in such cases.

According to Politico, on Sunday, Durbin claimed during an interview with Dana Bash of CNN’s State of the Union that some of his colleagues have “gone too far” in stating their positions on the two impeachment articles that the House of Representatives passed against Trump last week.

“When it comes to saying, I made up my mind, it’s all over, for goodness’ sakes, that is not what the Constitution envisioned,” Durbin explained.

“Alexander Hamilton said, we give this job to the Senate because they are — quote — ‘independent and dignified.’ For goodness’ sakes, let’s do our best to meet those standards.”

And Durbin wasn’t just speaking of one side of the political aisle, as his comment was reportedly directed at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who previously stated that he would not act impartially in the trial, along with Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Both presidential candidates have already weighed in on whether or not they believe the president is guilty of the impeachment articles leveled against him.

“I think they have gone too far,” Durbin said. “You can’t do that. They shouldn’t have done that.”

Durbin could be a senator who newer senators might look to for guidance in the upcoming impeachment trial, as he served as a juror during former President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial that took place in 1999.

The Illinois senator pointed out his previous experience with the Clinton impeachment before explaining what he intends to do with Trump’s upcoming trial.

“And in that, I promise impartial justice, so help me God. And I want to stick by that. I basically want to hear the evidence, read the documents, make a decision that’s right for America,” Durbin said.

Durbin went on to defend House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her surprise decision to delay the transmission of the impeachment matter to the Senate.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, in the wake of the successful passing of the two articles of impeachment against Trump, Pelosi refused to name the House managers who will present the case to the Senate, citing a lack of knowing if the trial will be fair to Democrats.

She also failed to give any timeline as to when she’ll move forward, before heading into a holiday recess that will last until the beginning of 2020.