In the News

SPRINGFIELD — As House Democrats continued Thursday making their case in the impeachment trial of Republican President Donald Trump, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal acknowledged that it will be voters who render the final verdict.

“Most of us could have predicted the outcome a month ago,” said Neal, D-Springfield, acknowledging that the Republican-controlled Senate is unlikely to remove Trump from office. “But at the same time, (U.S. Rep.) Adam Schiff has professionally conducted his responsibilities as the lead manager, and I think that going forward the evidence is pretty compelling.”

Neal, a senior Democrat and chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, answered questions on impeachment Thursday prior to an event in Springfield.

After news broke that Trump withheld aid to Ukraine and asked its president to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, Trump’s initial reaction was to deny it, Neal said.

“On the second day he said, ‘Well maybe I did it,’” Neal said. “On the third day he said, ‘So what if I did it?’”

Neal said Ukraine has been an American ally and it is threatened by Russia.

“So the two questions before the Unites States Senate are pretty simple,” Neal said. “Did the call take place? And was there an effort made to invite a foreign country to interfere in an American election? And I think the evidence is pretty compelling.”

Even if the Senate votes to acquit Trump, Neal said the House, by bringing the charges, upholds a concept that dates to the founding documents of Western democracy.

“I think there is another part of this that dates to Magna Carta,” he said. "That’s that Congress is a co-equal branch of government. Members of Congress don’t serve under any president. They serve with the presidents.”