Week two of the House impeachment inquiry starts Tuesday.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-NY, spent Monday in Western New York — not Washington — but said regardless of where he is, he's keeping track.

"I either watch them, get summaries of them, or read the accounts the next day in the newspaper," he said.

The Democrat compares he and his U.S. Senate colleagues to the jury in the impeachment process. He said it's inappropriate to draw conclusions until he hears all the evidence and hopes Senate Republicans feel the same.

"I'm not going to speculate on that. I just hope everyone doesn't jump to a conclusion. No matter what your politics, this is a very serious, solemn process," Schumer said. "The founding fathers put it in the Constitution."

This weekend, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested President Donald Trump should testify himself. Trump tweeted he would strongly consider it. Schumer said he hopes the president does.

"He should give his side to it, right to the people there, before they make a decision," he said.

The minority leader also sent a letter to the Secretary of Defense asking how the department will protect witnesses. He focused particularly on Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman and Deputy Assistant Secretary Laura Cooper, who are scheduled to go before the panel this week.

"They've said they're going to protect the initial whistleblower whose name we don't know and a couple of the others but they haven't said it about (Lt. Col. Alexander) Vindman and (Laura) Cooper and they ought to be extending the same protections to them," he said.

Another New York lawmaker, Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, has expressed concern House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff has suppressed GOP questions but Schumer believes each side has received fair time.