House Speaker Nancy Pelosi(D-CA) claims she’s been holding the articles of impeachment from the Senate to help create pressure from the public for the Senate to subpoena witnesses.

“What we did want, though, and we think we accomplished in the past few weeks, is that we wanted the public to see the need for witnesses, witnesses with firsthand knowledge of what happened, documentation which the president has prevented from coming to the Congress as we review this,” said Pelosi on ABC’s “This Week.”

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) argued the real reason Pelosi held on to the articles of impeachment is to hamper Senator Bernie Sander’s presidential campaign.

“The Iowa caucus is on February third,” McCarthy told host Maria Bartiromo on Fox News’ ‘Sunday Morning Futures.’ “Bernie Sanders is in first place and what this does is benefit Joe Biden. This harms Senator Sanders, who is in first place and could become their nominee because he will be stuck in a chair because Nancy Pelosi held the papers.”

McCarthy explained Sanders would be required in Washington for President Trump’s impeachment trial because “senators have to be in their desks.” The trial would also keep Senators Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, and Michael Bennett in D.C. instead of working to get ahead in the first-caucus state.

“Remember what happened in the last nomination process, where the DNC chairman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, had to resign the night before the nomination convention started, because they had found out they had cheated Senator Bernie Sanders from the opportunity to become the nominee,” said McCarthy. “They are doing the exact same thing right now. The Iowa caucus is on February 3. Bernie Sanders is in first place. And what this does is, this benefits Joe Biden. This harms Senator Sanders, who is in first place and could become their nominee, because he will be stuck in a chair, because Nancy Pelosi held the papers, different than what she said to the American public why she had to move so urgently.”

Maria Bartiromo asked McCarthy, “So, you think that it’s by design that Nancy Pelosi is sending the articles now, slow-walking, really, slow-walking the impeachment trial, to have the senators in the room? I mean, that is collusion. That is obstruction, once again keeping Bernie Sanders at bay, and clearing the decks for Joe Biden? Is that what you’re saying?”

“That is exactly what I’m saying,” replied McCarthy.

Watch:

President Trump pointed out Bernie Sanders is ahead in the polls by tweeting on Sunday, “Wow! Crazy Bernie Sanders is surging in the polls, looking very good against his opponents in the Do Nothing Party. So what does this all mean? Stay tuned!”