The impeachment trial of Donald Trump starts Tuesday with debate on trial procedures—namely, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's carefully planned cover-up. The debate will be conducted by the House impeachment managers and Trump’s defense team. The McConnell-Republican fix is in: the trial will start with marathon days of 12 hours of opening argument running deep into the night, and votes on witnesses and new evidence will be put off and rigged to the greatest extent possible. But those procedures are the subject of Tuesday’s debate.
All this while polls say a majority of Americans think Trump should be removed from office and a large majority support calling witnesses in the trial.
C-SPAN cameras are currently showing the outside of the Senate. According to C-SPAN, McConnell has not responded to requests to place their cameras inside the chamber and the camera that is there is completely under McConnell’s control.
Ongoing coverage can be found here.
"There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission. We will control all that you see and hear." -- The Outer Limits
Also, Mitch McConnell.
And we are underway. So far things are following along solemnly enough, noting the purpose of the hearing and the availability of the articles.
McConnell’s proposal for how the trial will be conducted is now being read. When that’s done, there will be two hours for debate of the dark-of-night rules proposed by McConnell. After that Schumer has the opportunity to propose an amendment … which McConnell has already announced he will vote to table.
The proposal as read includes spreading 24 hours over “three session days” which appears to be a change from the two days that McConnell had in the earlier version of the proposal sent to Senators on Monday.
White House counsel Pat Cipollone is first up in arguing in favor of McConnell’s proposal — showing how supportive of Trump the McConnell rules really are.
Adam Schiff begins the opposition to McConnell’s proposal by stating that the charges against Trump are “the most serious” ever brought in an impeachment hearing. Making a good, quick summary both of the case against Trump and the ridiculousness of the statement from Trump’s legal team.
McConnell’s team can’t seem to understand how to focus a camera. Which is irritating. Probably intentionally.
Schiff makes a forceful, defense of bringing forth witnesses and documents. Have I mentioned how much I like Adam Schiff? I like Adam Schiff. Here is a guy who can make a compelling argument without sneering and bellowing.
One other huge change to note in the proposal as read vs the proposal as submitted on Monday — the Senate now accepts the evidence of the House hearings, without voting on each item. That’s a big change. It’s unclear what pressure caused McConnell to make that change, and to move to three days, but clearly there was pressure.
Schiff’s opening is a genuinely stirring call for fairness and impartial justice. “Let me be blunt, let me be very blunt. Right now, many Americans do not believe there will be a fair trial.”
Schiff correctly notes that, as the proposal is framed, what is being described as “opening statements” is the trial. If McConnell’s proposals are accepted, there will only be a vote on authorizing any witnesses after the entire process is completed.
Again, Schiff’s opening is both impressive and powerful without being snarky or mean-spirited. On a day when history is watching, his statement is worthy of that attention; designed to be read now and decades from now.
Schiff has given a masterclass in setting his case. Cipollone saved all most all his time for reply. It’s going to be interesting to see if that reply contains anything more than the same “you can’t impeach for abuse of power” arguments that filled the legal brief that Cipollone and Jay Sekulow issued earlier.
Schiff talking about the relative powers of the House and Senate in impeachment in a way that’s legitimately compelling. Deserves to be heard—and read.
Evening news people, if you’re looking for three minutes of trial to show today, let it be this.
Schiff makes a fantastic defense of the gathering of new evidence and witness testimony in the Senate, and in drawing a line between the proposal McConnell put forward and the conditions of the Clinton impeachment.