Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who has demanded four witnesses be called in an impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, voted to dismiss the case against President Bill Clinton as a new senator in 1999 and opposed a motion to subpoena witnesses.
"I wonder if the House managers aren't a little more interested in political theater than in actually getting to the bottom of the facts," Schumer, who had served in the House from 1981 to his 1998 election to the upper chamber, explained to CBS at the time, The Washington Examiner reports.
"My view is we have heard from most of these witnesses over and over again," the freshman senator said. "We've heard the same story."
But Schumer on Sunday said Democrats wanted to call four witnesses, including former National Security Adviser John Bolton and Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, in a trial against Trump for his alleged Ukraine actions.
His letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., included an outline for a weekslong "fair and honest" trial on the impeachment articles, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, that are very likely to be approved by the House this week.
McConnell has signaled his preference for a speedy trial.
In further explaining his Clinton actions, Schumer told CNN on Monday that "the facts are different here.
"That was about something that President Clinton did, not as president, but as a human being — and failing as a human being.
"This is about the president's overreach of power," he continued.
Further, "the Republicans could not negotiate a fair bunch of witnesses with the Democrats, and there was a 55-45 vote because it wasn't a bipartisan negotiation," Schumer told host John Berman.
"It should be now."
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.