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Trump has said publicly that a trial in the Republican-led
Senate would give him an opportunity to defend himself properly
against Democrats, who accuse him of abusing his power by trying
to pressure Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden and
of obstructing Congress when lawmakers tried to look into the
matter.
Trump has denied wrongdoing and called the impeachment inquiry a
sham. The charges are expected to be approved by the
Democratic-controlled House of Representatives and sent to the
Senate for a trial on whether he should be removed from office.
The Republican president has said he wants to call Biden, a
former vice president and a leading 2020 Democratic presidential
contender to run against Trump, as one of the witnesses.
But Trump now appears to be leaning toward the idea of having a
shorter trial in the Senate that would allow him to move past
the threat to his presidency more quickly, the sources said. The
Senate is widely expected to acquit Trump in any trial.
Trump's new thinking would remove a potential source of friction
with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who appeared to
balk in public comments on Tuesday at the idea of a long trial
in the Senate. McConnell said one option was simply to vote on
the articles of impeachment without hearing witnesses.
"I don't think he (Trump) wants a lengthy trial. I think he
wants the back end of this to be as clean as possible," said one
source familiar with internal deliberations at the White House
and talks among Republican senators.
White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said Trump was prepared for
any scenario in the Senate.
"It's very clear that the president has done nothing wrong and
the House should drop this whole ridiculous, partisan exercise.
But the president is ready for anything in the Senate," he said.
McConnell and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer are
expected to hold private talks soon in an attempt to establish
ground rules for a trial that likely would begin in January.
If McConnell and the White House were to mount a drive for a
short trial, it might be difficult to accomplish if Trump
insists on a list of witnesses, as that could trigger Democratic
demands for a host of top Trump administration officials to
testify.
That, in turn, could ignite a messy fight on the Senate floor,
further lengthening the trial.
(Reporting by Steve Holland; Additional reporting by Richard
Cowan; Editing by Peter Cooney)
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