Soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed Tuesday to move forward on coronavirus relief and confirming President-elect Joe Biden’s Cabinet nominees, even as the chamber is expected to soon face an impeachment trial.

“As we continue to reckon with the horrific events on January 6th, our work on behalf of the American people must not and will not be deterred,” Schumer wrote in a Dear Colleague letter. “The Senate Democratic Majority, working within President-elect Biden and our House Democratic colleagues, is committed to delivering the bold change our country demands, and the help that our people need.”

Schumer’s letter comes as the House is preparing to impeach President Donald Trump on Wednesday and then send an article of impeachment to the Senate, following last week’s deadly insurrection on Capitol Hill. Sending the article to the Senate will jump-start a trial in the upper chamber. Schumer warned his caucus to remain “vigilant” against potential threats in the lead-up to the Jan. 20 inauguration and pledged to investigate Jan. 6’s security breaches.

Senators will receive a security briefing on the inauguration Tuesday afternoon ahead of the Jan. 20 event. The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies has said that President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be sworn in on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol.

Schumer is calling on the Senate to return immediately after the House sends over the article of impeachment, citing the use of emergency authorities granted to Senate leaders in 2004. But that would require buy-in from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) who has told his caucus the trial wouldn’t begin until Jan. 19 at the earliest absent a unanimous consent agreement.

Despite the forthcoming impeachment trial, Schumer wrote in his letter that the chamber will still work to confirm Biden’s Cabinet nominees immediately.

“The violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th showed us we need qualified Senate-confirmed people (not in an acting capacity) in key national security positions on Day One,” Schumer wrote. “The economic challenges our nation faces also require having key economic nominees confirmed and on the job ASAP.”

The New York Democrat also told the caucus that the first legislative priority will be crafting another coronavirus relief package that will include $2,000 checks and more resources for vaccine distribution.

In addition, Schumer said that Democrats will consider legislation related to climate change, health care, criminal justice reform, immigration and the tax code. He added that Democrats will move forward, even if they don’t receive support from Republicans.

“The Senate works best when we are working together with our Republican colleagues,” Schumer wrote. “However, if our Republican colleagues decide not to partner with us in our efforts to address these issues, we will not let that stop progress.”

Despite their razor-thin majority, Senate Democrats still face a 60-vote threshold for major legislation. While Democrats can use reconciliation as a means to enact many legislative priorities, they need to prove the provisions have a significant effect on the federal budget.

“The core tenets of our system of government have been challenged,” Schumer concluded. “Our work to regain the majority in the Senate, however, means that we have an opportunity to work with our House colleagues and a new administration to defeat the virus, provide the relief the American people need, and re-unite the country.”

As President Donald Trump continues to contest the results of the 2020 election, a small but influential number of Senate Republicans are starting to suggest it’s time to move on.

Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) on Monday both joined calls for the transition process to begin. While neither are saying Joe Biden is the president-elect just yet, both senators indicated it was time that he receive briefings on national security and the coronavirus pandemic.

In an op-ed published in the Cincinnati Enquirer, Portman, who is up for re-election in 2022, wrote that any disputes over the election results should end by Dec. 8, the final day to certify their election results. He added that “in the meantime, the General Services Administration (GSA) should go ahead and release the funds and provide the infrastructure for an official transition.”

Capito, who just won re-election in West Virginia, said that while Trump has the right to pursue legal challenges, “at some point, the 2020 election must end.” She added that “the window for legal challenges and recounts is rapidly closing” and that the Biden team should receive the necessary briefings “to facilitate a smooth transfer of power in the likely event that they are to take office on January 20.”

Until Monday evening, Emily Murphy, the GSA Administrator, refused to certify Biden as the winner of the election, preventing the president-elect’s transition team from coordinating with federal agencies, receiving briefings or having access to certain funds.

The GOP recognition of Biden's success will be critical to getting his Cabinet confirmed. Much of that work begins now, and committee hearings often start before the president-elect is sworn in so his Cabinet can be confirmed quickly. Biden announced Monday he would nominate Antony Blinken for secretary of state, Alejandro Mayorkas for secretary of homeland security and Avril Haines as director of national intelligence.

Should Republicans keep the Senate in January, Portman will oversee Mayorkas’ nomination as chair of the Homeland Security Committee. Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will hold Blinken’s confirmation hearing and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) will handle Haines' hearing. Like Portman, Risch and Rubio have also acknowledged the need for a transition. Capito is likely to chair the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Portman and Capito are not officially in GOP leadership, but both attend weekly Monday night meetings held by McConnell.

While members of his own party are suggesting the transfer of power should begin, Trump is pressuring state officials to reject certification of states Biden won, including Michigan. Last week, the president invited Michigan GOP lawmakers to the White House, though the state-level lawmakers who met with Trump said after the meeting that they received no evidence that would change the outcome of the election. The electoral college vote is scheduled for December 14.

Even though Trump’s legal challenges are getting thrown out in court, the universe of Republicans calling for the transition of power to begin may remain small. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has yet to recognize Biden as the president-elect and most Senate Republicans are following suit. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming is the only member of GOP leadership in the House or Senate who has called on Trump to either demonstrate evidence of fraud or move on and “respect the sanctity of our electoral process.”

The majority of Republicans who have said the transition should begin have also recognized Biden as president-elect.

In a statement Sunday evening, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said Trump had the opportunity to pursue his legal challenges, but noted that they have so far fallen short.

“A pressure campaign on state legislators to influence the electoral outcome is not only unprecedented but inconsistent with our democratic process,” Murkowski said. “It is time to begin the full and formal transition process.”

Over the weekend, Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania formally congratulated Biden on winning the election, after a federal District judge in Pennsylvania dismissed Trump’s lawsuit to throw out millions of votes. Toomey was among the first Republicans who, earlier this month, called for the transition process to start and said it was “quite likely” Biden would be the 46th president.

In his statement Saturday, Toomey, who will retire in 2022, praised Trump for policies enacted during his administration and encouraged the president to “accept the outcome” of the election “to ensure that he is remembered for these outstanding accomplishments, and to help unify our country.”

GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, along with Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah and Ben Sasse of Nebraska have also recognized Biden as the next president and slammed Trump’s pressure campaign to reverse the election results. Romney, who voted to convict Trump earlier this year during the impeachment trial, said last week that “it is difficult to imagine a worse, more undemocratic action by a sitting president.”

Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, who is retiring this year, has also called on the transition process to begin. In a new statement Monday, Alexander said he hoped that Trump would "put the country first and have a prompt and orderly transition to help the new administration succeed." He added that "when you are in public life, people remember the last thing you do."

Yet the reluctance of most Republican senators to push Trump to concede highlights the firm grip the president holds, and will continue to hold, on his party. Republicans also need Trump’s assistance to help win the two runoff races in Georgia on Jan. 5, which will determine control of the Senate. While the GOP is favored to hang on, Republicans are still counting on the president to turn out his base of voters and potentially campaign in the state.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pushed back Monday against Democratic allegations of hypocrisy over holding a vote this year on Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s replacement, arguing that historical precedent is on his side.

Democrats are accusing McConnell and other Republicans of a double standard when it comes to the Supreme Court, citing McConnell’s 2016 decision to block President Barack Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland, because it was an election year. But McConnell and Senate Republicans claim 2016 was different because the White House and Senate were controlled by different parties.

In his floor remarks Monday, McConnell argued that this time the White House and the Senate are controlled by the same party and therefore the Senate should confirm President Donald Trump’s nominee.

“Apart from that one strange exception, no Senate has failed to confirm a nominee in the circumstances that face us now,” McConnell said, referring to Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas, who served on the high court in the 1960s but resigned over ethics issues. “The historical precedent is overwhelming and it runs in one direction. If our Democratic colleagues want to claim they are outraged, they can only be outraged at the plain facts of American history.”

McConnell added that in 2016, Obama asked “Senate Republicans for an unusual favor that had last been granted nearly 130 years prior.”

The Kentucky Republican further highlighted that the Senate is merely responding to voters, noting that Senate Republicans expanded their majority in 2018 after the contentious Supreme Court confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh. Sen. Susan Collins is however facing a backlash this year from Democratic voters over her support for Kavanaugh and is currently trailing in the polls in her Senate race in Maine.

"Ironically, it was the Democratic leader who went out of his way to declare the 2018 midterms a referendum on the Senate’s handling of the Supreme Court," McConnell said. “In his final speech before Kavanaugh was confirmed, he yelled over and over at the American people to ‘go vote!’ He told Americans to go elect senators based on how they’d approached their advice-and-consent duties over those weeks. Unfortunately for him, many Americans did just that."

But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer shot back on Monday, saying the majority leader and Senate Judiciary Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) are “making a mockery” of their previous position.

“Why not just come to the floor and say I’m going to do whatever is best for my political party, consistency be damned, reason be damned, democracy be damned,” Schumer said. “They know there is no reason, no reason, no argument, no logic to justify flipping your position 180 degrees and calling it some kind of principle. It is not.”

Republicans argue that Democrats in 2016 called for the confirmation of Garland during an election year, but Democrats say that with the Garland nomination Republicans set a new standard.

Since Ginsburg’s death on Friday, Graham, who is up for reelection, has faced a torrent of accusations of hypocrisy. The South Carolina Republican, who said he would not confirm a nominee during a presidential year in 2018 during the Kavanaugh confirmation, has since said he would in fact vote for a nominee during an election year. On Monday, he reiterated that he changed his mind after the ugly confirmation process for Kavanaugh, who faced allegations of sexual assault.

McConnell and Schumer’s dueling floor remarks are only the beginning in what’s expected to be a brutal Supreme Court fight. McConnell has repeatedly vowed that Trump’s nominee will receive a vote on the Senate floor, though he hasn’t specified whether the vote will take place before or after the election. Trump said Monday he will announce his pick Friday or Saturday.

Schumer said Monday that at no time in the Senate’s history have senators confirmed a Supreme Court nominee so close to a presidential election, which is just 43 days away.

McConnell, countered that the Senate has more than enough time to confirm Trump’s nominee, noting that Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was confirmed in 33 days. (O'Connor, however, was approved unanimously while Trump's pick is expected to be more controversial.) The confirmation process typically takes more than 40 days.

There is little Democrats can do to stop the nomination from going through. So far, only two Senate Republicans — Collins and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — said the Senate should wait until after the election. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), who has broken with Trump in the past and even voted to convict him during the impeachment trial, has not yet said where he stands on the confirmation.

But Democrats say if Republicans move forward they will fundamentally change the Senate as an institution.

“How can we trust each other if when push comes to shove, when the stakes are the highest, the other side will double-cross their own standards when it’s politically advantageous,” Schumer said. “Tell me how this would not spell the end of this supposedly great deliberative body.”

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said Thursday he is putting a hold on two presidential nominees until Donald Trump explains his recent firings of two inspectors general.

Grassley tweeted that this is not the first time he has “raised alarms” when administrations “flout IG protection law,” noting that he also raised concerns about President Barack Obama's 2009 firing of Gerald Walpin, then inspector general of the Corporation for National and Community Service. The Iowa Republican added that all he wants is a reason for the ouster of the inspectors general, as required by law.

Grassley is placing holds on Christopher Miller to become director of the National Counterterrorism Center and on Marshall Billingslea, to become undersecretary of state for arms control and international security.

“Congress has made it clear that should the president find reason to fire an inspector general, there ought to be a good reason for it,” Grassley said in a statement for the congressional record. “The White House’s response failed to address this requirement... Without sufficient explanation, the American people will be left speculating whether political or self-interests are to blame.”

The move comes after Grassley demanded that the Trump administration provide an explanation for the firing of Michael Atkinson, the intelligence community’s inspector general, and Steve Linick, the State Department’s inspector general.

Last week, White House Counsel Pat Cipollione told Grassley that Trump had “acted within his constitutional and statutory authority” in the firings. But the senator, known as a longtime advocate for oversight, said that response was insufficient. Grassley is also working on legislation to prevent political appointees from taking on the role as acting inspector general.

Trump placed the two inspectors general on administrative leave for 30 days, prompting speculation that the president was trying to circumvent a legal requirement to notify Congress ahead of their removal.

Linick told House lawmakers Wednesday that he was fired after he sought an interview with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about arms sales to Saudi Arabia made over the objections of career officials. Trump meanwhile blamed Atkinson for the House impeachment inquiry by revealing the existence of a whistleblower complaint against him for his dealings with Ukraine.

Andrew Desiderio contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer clashed all day Thursday in media appearances, tweets and dueling letters over the federal government’s response to the coronavirus crisis.

The tension reached a climax when Trump sent a letter to the New York Democrat, defending his administration's handling of the coronavirus pandemic. But letter also got personal, as the president accused the Democratic leader of getting caught up in the "impeachment hoax" and being "missing in action, except when it comes to the 'press."

On MSNBC's "All In with Chris Hayes," Schumer said Thursday evening that he was "appalled" at the president's letter and told Trump to "stop the pettiness — people are dying."

Schumer, who has been on a media blitz this week, appealed to Trump in a letter Thursday morning to establish a czar with a military background to oversee the production of medical equipment, including ventilators and personal protection equipment, under the Defense Production Act. The U.S. is facing a shortage of such equipment as the pandemic overwhelms hospitals and other medical providers.

"America cannot rely on a patchwork of uncoordinated voluntary efforts to combat the awful magnitude of this pandemic," Schumer wrote. "The existing federal leadership void has left America with an ugly spectacle in which States and cities are literally fending for themselves, often in conflict and competition with each other."

Schumer spoke to Trump twice Thursday afternoon, according to the Democratic leader's office. After hearing his position, Trump informed Schumer that he was in the process of sending a "very nasty letter" but would try to stop the letter from being sent, Schumer's office said. Trump said that he would apologize if he was unable to prevent the letter from going out, Schumer's office said.

In his letter, Trump thanked Schumer sarcastically for his "Democrat public relations letter and incorrect soundbites."

The president argued his administration already has a "senior military officer" in place — Rear Adm. John P. Polowczyk, who is heading the supply chain task force at FEMA. He also accused New York of being "very late" to confronting the virus and suggested the Democratic leader would lose a primary, if challenged by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). Schumer is up for re-election in 2022.

Schumer has repeatedly called on the president to use the Defense Production Act to increase the supply of medical equipment. Trump recently invoked the law for its first coronavirus use to get General Motors to make ventilators, but it will still take time to ramp up production. The president has also appointed Peter Navarro, the current White House trade adviser, as national Defense Production Act policy coordinator.

Schumer, however, wrote in his letter that Navarro is "woefully unqualified for this task" and chastised members of the administration for conducting separate "shadow" effort "led by equally inexperienced and unqualified people."

The back-and-forth began Thursday morning.

Following Schumer's appearance on "Morning Joe," in which he reiterated his calls for a czar to oversee medical equipment, Trump shot back on Twitter, telling Schumer to "stop complaining."

The swipes between Schumer and Trump come one week after the Senate passed unanimously a $2 trillion emergency rescue package to address the pandemic. Schumer primarily negotiated with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

Democrats are already beginning to push for a Phase 4 coronavirus relief package. But while Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) has already outlined a vision for the fourth package, Senate Republicans want to first focus on the implementation of the most recent legislation.

Sarah Owermohle , Andrew Desiderio and Quint Forgey contributed to this report.

CLARIFICATION: This story is updated to clarify that President Donald Trump was referring to Rear Adm. John P. Polowczyk in his tweet, per an administration official.

Senate Democrats aren’t ready to make Mike Bloomberg president. But they sure don’t mind him spending a slice of his personal fortune on ads targeting President Donald Trump.

The billionaire former New York mayor is rising in the polls after flooding the airwaves and is seeing a quick uptick in enthusiasm from House Democrats, winning 13 endorsements. But he has yet to secure a single Senate backer.

Despite the cold shoulder, many Senate Democrats are happy to see Bloomberg’s anti-Trump message out there — even supporters of Joe Biden, who is in danger of being eclipsed by Bloomberg as the moderate champion in the race.

“To the extent that Mayor Bloomberg is investing heavily in campaign ads in states that we have to win in the Electoral College and that those ads criticize or challenge President Trump’s values and his record and present a Democratic alternative, I think that’s a constructive thing,” said Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), one of five senators to endorse Biden.

Coons recalled in an interview that he recently saw three Bloomberg ads in an hour while watching the evening news and “Jeopardy” at his home in Wilmington, Del. — where the state primary isn’t held until the end of April.

The balancing act on Bloomberg comes as most Senate Democrats have opted to stay out of the 2020 campaign, saying it's too early to make a decision and that they’ll support whoever wins the nomination. They also may see little upside in opposing a Senate colleague in a race that still seems fluid or criticizing Bloomberg, a deep-pocketed donor who is making the case against Trump and could boost their party’s chances of seizing control of the Senate.

Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama, the most vulnerable Democrat in the Senate and another Biden supporter, said he finds Bloomberg’s ads helpful for his own campaign as they align with his focus on health care and jobs.

“These are not just slash and burn negative ads about the president, but just calling people’s attention to the fact that not all these presidential things are good for Alabama,” Jones said in an interview.

Since late November, the former New York mayor has spent more than $300 million on television and radio ads, and another $70 million on digital, according to numbers from Advertising Analytics. He is running ads in 27 states, including red states that Trump easily won in 2016 like Alabama, as well as purple states like Arizona, Colorado and North Carolina, according to his spokesperson.

Bloomberg’s 2020 rivals are, not surprisingly, frustrated with the billionaire’s ad buys.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) have both accused Bloomberg of trying to buy the election. In a tweet ahead of Wednesday's debate, Warren wrote "it’s a shame Mike Bloomberg can buy his way into the debate" and described him as an "egomaniac billionaire."

But not everyone is complaining. Even those in the party who have long pushed for reforms to the campaign finance system argue they shouldn’t tie their hands — especially when it comes to taking on Trump.

“Anytime you can point out what’s going on in this administration, I think it helps Democrats… Bloomberg is helping to point out some of the challenges that this country’s having,” said Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), a frequent critic of money in politics. “If you want to win, you gotta play the game that’s on the field. Do I wish we could change the rules of that game? You bet.”

“I welcome it,” added Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.)., when asked about Bloomberg’s ads. “There’s a voice countering the big donors on the Republican side who are relentlessly forcing their trash out through Fox News and other...media.”

Bloomberg’s philanthropy has also won him fans in the caucus.

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), who emphasized he is not endorsing at this stage of the contest, said he admires that Bloomberg is “committed to using his resources” to elect a Democratic president and said his work in Baltimore to curb gun violence and invest in Johns Hopkins University gives him credibility in Maryland.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) described Bloomberg as a “force for good on the issue of gun violence.”

“There’s part of me that likes the fact that an anti-gun-violence champion is running for president,” Murphy said, adding, “There’s part of me that doesn’t want him to lose the focus that he had on the movement.”

Bloomberg has also opened up his wallet in the battle for the Senate, which senators surely haven’t forgotten.

In 2018, he donated $20 million to the Senate Majority PAC, a Democratic leadership-backed group trying to take back the Senate. He’s also donated to individual Senate Democrats over the years, including Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire — both of whom are up this year — as well as several Republican senators including John McCain of Arizona, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Susan Collins of Maine, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Sen. Joe Manchin — a moderate from West Virginia who has said he is open to endorsing Trump — said the former New York mayor "looks like a responsible adult" but didn't say whether he would back him.

Bloomberg’s candidacy has stirred up opposition on the left. Nominating a billionaire former Republican who spent years defending stop-and-frisk policing policies will not sit well with progressives.

But for now, most Senate Democrats agree that his ads, particularly on health care, are helpful to their cause.

“Trump gets all this free publicity,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). “On health care, every Democrat wants universal coverage but at different speeds. Trump wants to basically take it away. … It’s whose side are you on — and Bloomberg’s ads are doing that. I do like that part about him.”

When asked whether he has any qualms about Bloomberg’s status as a billionaire buying air time, Brown said: “I’m glad he’s doing the ads, let’s leave it at that.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is asking that every agency inspector general investigate retaliation against whistleblowers who report presidential misconduct, after the firing of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman from the National Security Council.

Schumer’s letters to 74 inspectors general, which will be sent Monday, comes after Vindman, a star witness in the House impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, was removed from his position at the White House on Friday, along with his twin, Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman, an ethics lawyer at the NSC. Both brothers are active-duty Army officers and were reassigned to the Pentagon.

Gordon Sondland, ambassador to the European Union and another key witness, was also recalled from his post.

In a letter to Acting Inspector General Glenn Fine at the Defense Department, Schumer described the NSC firings as “part of a dangerous, growing pattern of retaliation against those who report wrongdoing only to find themselves targeted by the President and subject to his wrath and vindictiveness.”

In addition to asking Fine to investigate all acts of retaliation against those who reported presidential misconduct, Schumer also requested that the acting inspector general report the last time that personnel at the Defense Department were informed of their rights as whistleblowers. He also asked that Fine assure Congress in writing that the Pentagon’s general counsel would not allow retaliation against “anyone who has, or in the future makes, protected disclosures of presidential misconduct to Congress or Inspectors General.”

Alexander Vindman’s firing came two days after the Senate acquitted the president on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, after Trump withheld military aid to Ukraine and requested during a telephone call that the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, investigate his political rivals.

Vindman, a Purple Heart recipient, told House investigators in October that Trump’s request undermined national security. He also considered the call with Zelensky inappropriate and flagged it for a top White House lawyer. Since his testimony, Vindman has come under repeated attacks from the president’s allies. Some Republicans, however, have come to his defense, citing his military service to the country.

Trump also attacked Vindman on Saturday, saying he was “very insubordinate, reported contents of my ‘perfect’ calls incorrectly, & … was given a horrendous report by his superior, the man he reported to.”

David Pressman, one of Vindman’s lawyers, said the lieutenant colonel’s removal was nothing more than political retribution from the president.

Schumer wrote in his letter: “Without the courage of whistleblowers and the role of Inspectors General, the American people may never have known how the President abused his power in the Ukraine scandal. It is incumbent on you that whistleblowers … are protected for doing what we hope and expect those who serve our country will do when called: tell the truth.”

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) is requesting the Government Accountability Office review whether the Trump administration is improperly classifying documents that it provided to Congress.

In an interview, Murphy, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said that the Trump administration’s classification of a letter from Vice President Mike Pence’s aide Jennifer Williams centered on the vice president’s call with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky was the “last straw.”

“There was absolutely nothing in that document that should have been classified,” Murphy said. “It was only classified because it was politically hurtful to the president in the middle of an impeachment proceeding and you are not allowed as president of the United States to keep information from the public simply because it’s going to hurt you politically.”

Williams testified during the House’s impeachment inquiry that President Donald Trump’s July 25 call with his Ukraine counterpart was “inappropriate.” She submitted the document in question to the House Intelligence Committee as supplemental testimony and additional evidence in the impeachment inquiry, but Pence’s office has deemed it classified.

Democrats who viewed the document in January when it was made available to lawmakers claimed there’s no reason to keep it classified.

In a letter sent Thursday, Murphy asked that the GAO compare classified documents that are in the Office of Senate Security to their original classified versions to see if they have similar classification levels as well as examine the material the documents provided to Congress are based on.

“Some documents contain information that is classified at a level that appears inconsistent with the nature of the material,” Murphy wrote. “It is critical to ensure that information provided to the Congress is properly classified when it must be classified at all.”

Murphy along with other Democratic senators have criticized the Trump administration for keeping documents under wraps that they argue do not contain classified information. The Connecticut Democrat has also called for declassifying the War Powers notification sent to Congress after the strike against Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.

“I’ve noticed a trend — I’ve watched as more and more of these documents I’m reading in the [Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility] don’t have information that compromises sources and methods,” he said. “The War Powers notification for the Soleimani strike had no information in it that was classified.”

Murphy said in the interview that he’s also hearing concerns from Republicans. He acknowledged that the Obama administration also classified documents that didn’t necessarily have classified information, but said that under the Trump administration the problem is “much more acute.”

The Connecticut Democrat is also asking GAO whether a member of Congress can challenge the classification status of a document.

“Right now the only thing we can do is declassify it ourselves which I do not think is a solution,” he said. “But if this doesn’t get better, then I do think we need to think about processes by which a third party can weigh in and decide to un-classify something that’s just a political embarrassment.”