DAY 1: Democrats and Republicans fight over rules for Trump Senate impeachment trial
Hear ye, hear ye! The 3rd Presidential Impeachment Trial in the U.S. Supreme Court is underway. . .
Tuesday morning started with back-to-back press conferences with the main leaders from both parties fighting over what the public gets to see.
Some are already calling the third Senate Impeachment trial of a president in American history the "Trial of the Century." It kicks off today with . Republican defenders of Pres. Trump are expected to reject the articles of impeachment and acquit him swiftly, saying the charges are an "affront to the Constitution."
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wants the trial to be over in two weeks and said he modeled it after the Clinton case. Both sides will need to settle on the rules first..
(By the way, Thursday, Jan. 23 is marked as an off day on the Supreme Court Calendar. It is not clear whether this break will affect the trial.)
In response to the resolution McConnell released on Monday, House Impeachment Manager Adam Schiff said it is not at all a reflection of the Clinton trial as Republicans have said. The process is "rigged" they say. All of the documents were a "profound departure from Clinton" on the issue of providing all documents and allowing witnesses to be deposed Schumer said McConnell is trying to run the trial with no existing or new evidence.
"A trial with no evidence is not a trial at all. It's a cover up." Schumer added Republicans will resubmit amendments to correct the "flawed" one McConnell presented.
SCHUMER STATEMENT ON SENATOR MCCONNELL’S IMPEACHMENT TRIAL RESOLUTION
January 20, 2020
Washington, D.C.— Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer released the following statement in response to Senator McConnell’s Senate impeachment trial resolution proposal:
“Senator McConnell repeatedly promised Senators, the public and the press that his rules for the trial would be the same as the rules for President Clinton’s trial. After reading his resolution, it’s clear Senator McConnell is hell-bent on making it much more difficult to get witnesses and documents and intent on rushing the trial through. On something as important as impeachment, Senator McConnell’s resolution is nothing short of a national disgrace.
“Sen. McConnell’s proposed rules depart dramatically from the Clinton precedent – in ways that are designed to prevent the Senate and the American people from learning the full truth about President Trump’s actions that warranted his impeachment. The McConnell rules don’t even allow the simple, basic step of admitting the House record into evidence at the trial.
“Under this resolution, Senator McConnell is saying he doesn’t want to hear any of the existing evidence, and he doesn’t want to hear any new evidence. A trial where no evidence – no existing record, no witnesses, no documents – isn’t a trial at all — It’s a cover up, and the American people will see it for exactly what it is.
“Furthermore, Senator McConnell’s resolution stipulates that key facts be delivered in the wee hours of the night simply because he doesn’t want the American people to hear them. Any Senator that votes for the McConnell resolution will be voting to hide information and evidence from the American people.
“As soon as Senator McConnell offers this resolution, I will be offering amendments to address the many flaws in this deeply unfair proposal and to subpoena the witnesses and documents we have requested.”
