McConnell reportedly lobbied by top Republicans to convict Trump in impeachment trial

"Mitch said to me he wants Trump gone," a Republican member of Congress source reportedly told CNN. "It is in his political interest to have him gone. It is in the GOP interest to have him gone. The question is, do we get there?"

Lobbying efforts to get Trump impeached reportedly took off after the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol. Seventeen Republicans would need to vote in favor of conviction along with all 50 Democrats in order for it to follow through in the Senate.

McConnell has pinned the blame for the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot on Trump and his legal team's rhetoric in insisting that the 2020 election was fraudulent.

"The mob was fed lies," McConnell said on the Senate floor.

"They were provoked by the president and other powerful people," he continued.

Republican support for impeachment in the House may reflect similar support in the Senate.

"There were 10 House Republicans who voted for impeachment. There were probably over 150 who supported it," claimed Charlie Dent, a former Republican congressman.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Friday that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi will bring the article of impeachment against Trump to the Senate Monday, and that the trial is scheduled to begin the week of Feb. 8.

"I have spoken to Speaker Pelosi who informed me that the articles will be delivered to the Senate on Monday," Schumer said.

Former-President Donald Trump made history as the first President to ever be impeached twice. Democrats and some Republicans are standing behind the unprecedented effort to hold an impeachment trial for a President weeks after he has left office.