NEW: McConnell believes Trump committed impeachable offenses, believes the attack on Capitol gives Rs a chance to purge the president

and...

McCarthy has asked colleagues if he should urge Trump to resign, is open to a censure

w @maggieNYT >

: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/01/12/us/impeachment-trump-25th-amendment/mcconnell-is-said-to-be-pleased-about-impeachment-believing-it-will-make-it-easier-to-purge-trump-from-the-republican-party

ALSO: Biden called McConnell yesterday and asked if Senate could dual track impeachment trial and cabinet confirmations.

Far from telling Biden he would not discuss the impeachment, McConnell said he would check with the parliamentarian and get back to Biden.

McCarthy has cycled through just what can be done about Trump, approached Hoyer about a censure and said he could deliver a lot of R votes.

But the deal was: Democrats had to back off impeachment.

This is the thinking in McConnellworld — now is the time to make the move, w Trump staggered https://twitter.com/lpdonovan/status/1349113267323621377

A Senate Republican aide tells me he thinks there were about 20, give or take, Republicans who were *open* to a conviction

Before our story on McConnell

Our full story for tmrw’s paper w another nugget: McConnell not only told Biden he’d be for Merrick Garland for AG, he reminded him he urged Trump to name Garland to succeed Comey at FBI https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/12/us/politics/mcconnell-backs-trump-impeachment.html