Donald Trump has been impeached for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, with overwhelming evidence despite his obstruction that has blocked investigators from access to key witnesses and documents. But now it’s in Mitch McConnell’s Senate, and that means a cover-up wrapped in obstruction. And no wonder: Despite Republicans’ best efforts, a majority of Americans think Trump should be removed from office.
The House impeachment managers—Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff, Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler, and Reps. Zoe Lofgren, Hakeem Jeffries, Val Demings, Jason Crow, and Sylvia Garcia—have 24 hours over three days to make their opening arguments. Daily Kos will be following with live updates.
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2020 · 6:08:06 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
What happened in the Senate Tuesday made me hopeful—not because Republicans agreed to a single reasonable rule change or to admit even a scrap of evidence or testimony. But because it showed the House impeachment managers have a good understanding of how to work their presentations into the process and fit critical points into a constrained period. Looking forward to seeing what they have today.
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2020 · 6:11:34 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Schiff opens the proceedings with thanks to both Chief Justice Roberts and the Senators before reading a statement from Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton may have been mentioned more times in the impeachment proceedings than on Broadway.
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2020 · 6:15:28 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Schiff takes the “day Alexander Hamilton feared” stuff that Republicans have been spouting throughout the hearings and gives it a judo flip. His opening may be a lot of the same “our founders” stuff that everyone seems to spout in this kind of situation, but it’s very well constructed and delivered.
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2020 · 6:16:21 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Hamilton quote used by Schiff in his opening …
When a man unprincipled in private life desperate in his fortune, bold in his temper, possessed of considerable talents, having the advantage of military habits—despotic in his ordinary demeanour—known to have scoffed in private at the principles of liberty—when such a man is seen to mount the hobby horse of popularity—to join in the cry of danger to liberty—to take every opportunity of embarrassing the General Government & bringing it under suspicion—to flatter and fall in with all the non sense of the zealots of the day—It may justly be suspected that his object is to throw things into confusion that he may “ride the storm and direct the whirlwind.”
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2020 · 6:20:29 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Very glad to hear Schiff detailing the "crowdstrike" theory and making it clear Trump wasn't asking for "investigations into 2016 election." He was asking Ukraine to support a conspiracy theory promoted by Russian intelligence.
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2020 · 6:58:57 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Schiff moves into the case by revisiting Trump’s support of Russian propaganda in both Ukraine and the 2016 election. Republicans have been trying to use the Mueller report to weaken the case against Trump. An interesting move from Schiff to make Mueller and his conclusions so key to his opening statement.
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2020 · 7:07:32 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
Schiff does a very good job of walking through both demands that Trump made following his “favor” statement to President Zelensky — the crowdstrike conspiracy theory and the smear campaign against Biden. He punctuates this presentation with images of Trump openly defending these statements, as well as making a call out to China. In any reasonable world, that should be the end of the trial. No other evidence is necessary.