It appears McConnell has completed his negotiations with Pelosi. I wonder what price he exacted for voting down impeachment in the way Pelosi wanted. The delay was all about haggling over the price. McConnell is King of Congress.
If the Democrats had taken back the Senate in 2018, what would they have been able to change with impeachment in the Senate if they got over 50 Democrats, because you need 67 votes for impeachment.
Best outcome for her at this stage is for the Senate to just take a summary vote and dismiss the articles, citing defects, the fact that none of these things are crimes, etc.
At least that way she can wriggle off the hook of the word “acquittal”. McConnell indeed may have extracted something in exchange for that.