Rep. Adam Smith, the Democratic chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said he “misspoke” when he called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate. Smith told CNN’s John Berman on New Day early Thursday morning that “it is time” for Pelosi to send the articles, which she has delayed doing, saying Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) must first establish trial rules. Smith quickly walked back his comments on Twitter after the interview, saying, “I do believe we should do everything we can to force the Senate to have a fair trial. If the Speaker believes that holding on to the articles for a longer time will help force a fair trial in the Senate, then I wholeheartedly support that decision.” He also said that he does want the articles sent to the Senate “for the very simple reason that I want the impeachment process to go forward.”
