Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., attempted to force Pelosi to drop her hold on Tuesday when he announced plans to approve Senate trial rules without the help of Democrats.
Pelosi reiterated Thursday that she wants more information on what those rules would include. But she also indicated that she was not planning a fight over the details.
"All we want to know is what are the rules, it doesn't mean we have to agree to the rules or we have to like the rules," she said. "We just want to know what they are."
At the core of the disagreement is who — if anyone — would act as witnesses during the trial. Democrats want a deal on that upfront, while McConnell wants to sort the issue with additional votes after the first phase of the trial, including opening arguments and a period allowing written questions from senators to both the prosecution and the defense.
Democrats want to call four witnesses, including acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and former national security adviser John Bolton. They also want an agreement to admit new reporting that has been released in recent weeks on the timing of Trump's decision to end a hold on foreign aid to Ukraine.
Pelosi's hold on the articles was designed to give Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., more time and space to build pressure on McConnell to include witness testimony as part of the rules governing the process.
McConnell has defended his proposed approach, saying it mirrors the impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton. Democrats say it is an unfair comparison because during the Clinton trial, the Senate was considering re-calling witnesses who had already testified before the House. This time, Democrats want to hear from people whose testimony the Trump administration has blocked.
