Republicans consider skipping witnesses
in Trump impeachment trial
The Hill,
by
Jordain Carney
Original Article
Posted By: earlybird,
12/11/2019 6:55:36 PM
Senate Republicans are weighing a speedy impeachment trial that could include no witnesses for President Trump’s legal team or for House Democrats.
The discussions come as the House is moving forward with articles of impeachment against Trump, teeing up a trial in the Senate that would start in January.
The White House has indicated publicly that it has a wish list of potential witnesses, including House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Hunter Biden and the whistleblower who sparked the impeachment inquiry.
But Republican senators, including Trump allies and members of leadership, appear reluctant to drag themselves through a drawn-out trial with messy procedural votes when the outcome appears pre-baked.
Reply 1 - Posted by:
Luandir 12/11/2019 7:02:52 PM (No. 259399)
If the Senate leadership is on Trump's side, they will want to air all the dirty Dem laundry in public, prolonging the agony for as long as they can. It's not as though the House is sending them any decent legislation to evaluate.
If the leadership is NOT on Trump's side, DJT should lean on them, in public and in private, until they are.
14 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
XCenturion 12/11/2019 7:10:38 PM (No. 259403)
The Republicans in the Senate need to give the President an opportunity to call witnesses, a procedure that he was denied by the House of Representative in their sham hearings. I would love to hear what Hillary knows about funding the "dossier" and what Joe Biden would say about his strong-arming the Ukranian government. Not to mention hearing from Schiff, etc.
16 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
jalo1951 12/11/2019 7:12:15 PM (No. 259404)
I want to see Schiff being grilled under the hot lights. Nothing is more smelly than Schiff being exposed to day light.
21 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
anniebc 12/11/2019 7:16:59 PM (No. 259405)
Lions in the Congress. Wimps in the Senate. Remember, the spineless Senators are the refined ones. The trial does not have to be long; simply present the President's side which will completely expose the guilty dems. If they don't, the dems get away with their evil deeds once again.
20 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
chumley 12/11/2019 7:21:49 PM (No. 259408)
The ones opposed to the calling of witnesses have something to hide. They are terrified their own crimes will be exposed.
They had a chance to influence this process while their fellow criminals were pushing it in the house. They refused to do it. Now the piper must be paid.
30 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
MuncsSister 12/11/2019 7:25:04 PM (No. 259409)
What they should do is drag this thing out until the dems are absolutely begging for mercy and the President’s approval ratings are atmospheric. But they won’t, because they don’t have the balls.
23 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Dodge Boy 12/11/2019 7:28:10 PM (No. 259412)
Note to the Senate Leadership - before you do anything, revoke the passports of those likely to be referred for criminal prosecution.
12 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
justavoter 12/11/2019 7:32:58 PM (No. 259420)
When the Senate leadership starts wanting to dismiss or speed the trial along, it means they want no part of witnesses that would reveal the money laundering by both parties. Think Congressional Post Office scandal times a thousand times a thousand.
23 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
jimincalif 12/11/2019 7:34:43 PM (No. 259422)
1 - the trial is an opportunity for Trump to counter 3 years of bias.
2 - It should last as long as there are still Dem senators running for president in the primaries.
16 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
bad-hair 12/11/2019 7:40:05 PM (No. 259423)
This is a case of a LOT of senate Republicans being involved in the same Ukraine money laundry as Biden. Lindsey Graham apparently among them. Send a billion in US tax money "aid" to Ukraine. and your kid or your re-election campaign or your funny money company catches a million or 2 back. Ukraine doesn't care if the billion dollar package costs them 300 million in kickbacks.. Net gain 700 million.
Have your quicky no witness acquittal. Then after the re-election President Trump can pull out his notes and tear up a few Republican senators with DOJ corruption investigations.
18 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
hurricanegirl 12/11/2019 7:46:30 PM (No. 259425)
Yup!!! I told you this is what was going to happen. The spineless, guilty-as-hell Senate Repulsives aren't going to allow Trump a fair trial if their lives depend on it. So once they railroad Trump out of office, then what?
9 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
Jethro bo 12/11/2019 7:52:18 PM (No. 259426)
This would be a procedural way to tell the House they have no case. Make some speeches about lack of due process, witch hunt and no evidence and make it clear the Senate isn't up to the Dems antics. As much as I would love to put the Dems on trial, it does make sense to ignore them and basically throw the case out.
7 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
watashiyo 12/11/2019 8:04:37 PM (No. 259431)
Democrats dumped tons of political garbage and lies against President Trump, and why not Republicans do the same against Schiff and Nadler during their witness hearings?!
7 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
bythegates 12/11/2019 8:08:34 PM (No. 259434)
Republicans are swamp rats too. Not allowing Trump to adequately defend himself by calling witnesses proves it.
18 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
Bur Oak 12/11/2019 8:14:37 PM (No. 259435)
The deep state senators want to bury this stinking pile before it exposes them. This includes most all senators that have been in office more than 6 years.
12 people like this.
#11 is right. R's are in this mess too. This is the main reason they don't defend Trump.
15 people like this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
earlybird 12/11/2019 8:28:16 PM (No. 259440)
Here is FiveThirtyEight’s writer’s take on how votes might go in the Senate.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/which-senators-are-likely-to-vote-for-trumps-removal/
0 people like this.
Reply 18 - Posted by:
MDConservative 12/11/2019 8:43:18 PM (No. 259448)
The calculations on this make no sense for anyone. The House Dems, already making fools of themselves, will truly jump the shark with this. Pelosi will be gone certainly as Speaker almost regardless at this point. The Senate doesn't need this, particularly the GOPe/UNIPARTY. It cannot win. A short trial will be unsatisfactory even with acquittal. A long trial can always (and likely will) go off the tracks, with a slew of showboats who will try for the spotlight. And who knows who has their hooks into John Roberts. Be careful what you wish for...
1 person likes this.
Reply 19 - Posted by:
kdog 12/11/2019 8:44:15 PM (No. 259449)
Trump is the best puncher the GOP has ever had. The Republicans in the Senate should ask him what he wants to do. I think he deserves the opportunity to defend himself against all the BS from the Democrats.
4 people like this.
Reply 20 - Posted by:
Skeptical1 12/11/2019 8:45:18 PM (No. 259450)
If the Senate can dismiss quickly and without witnesses, I'm for it. Republicans are not good at managing hearings and trials. And even if they managed to expose all the Dems dirty laundry, it wouldn't make any difference. It would just confirm what half the country already knows, while being completely ignored by the other half. This impeachment process is all about raw political power, House and Senate votes that were decided in the last election, and facts and logic are irrelevant to it.
3 people like this.
Reply 21 - Posted by:
earlybird 12/11/2019 8:54:24 PM (No. 259452)
Mark Wauck agrees with #21. Motion to dismiss (takes only a simple 51 majority) or a long trial with lots of witnesses.
Meanwhile I heard Rep. Cline tonight say that the wobbling in the House is palpable. They must be reviewing their flimsy charges and a number of them seeing their careers and all those perqs going up in smoke… all because of the sorry likes of Schiff and Nadler …
3 people like this.
Reply 22 - Posted by:
bighambone 12/11/2019 9:23:16 PM (No. 259468)
This is a little off point, but I think that Chief Justice John Roberts should take a month or so leave of absence and deploy Justice Clarence Thomas to preside over the Senate impeachment trial. Clearly the leftist and liberal Democrats would love that diversity!
1 person likes this.
Reply 23 - Posted by:
GoodDeal 12/11/2019 9:24:02 PM (No. 259469)
This thing will be a drive through in the senate with no conviction at which point the Dems will really have a nervous breakdown.
1 person likes this.
Reply 24 - Posted by:
john56 12/11/2019 9:40:30 PM (No. 259474)
Senators, based on the Clinton impeachment, if I remember correctly, don't get to question witnesses.
The House managers (aka persecutors Schiff, Nadler, etc.) try their case. I anticipate they are lousy lawyers and will have to be coached by the Lawfare Antifa lawyers to present their very weak case.
Then Pres. Trump will present his case. Unless the wimps like Turtle McConnell fall through, they need to allow witnesses to be called. And once Eric Ciaramella, Joe and Hunter Biden, and a cast of malcontents come before the Senate, the Senate Democrats will be clamoring for dismissal.
Here's my "compromise." Go ahead and dismiss the phony baloney plastic banana "Obstruction of Congress: charge off the bat. Then proceed on the equally weak "Abuse of Power" charge and show the flaws and the deep state coup attempt.
And I doubt CNN and MSNBC will preempt this show.
1 person likes this.
Reply 25 - Posted by:
Southron 12/11/2019 9:44:13 PM (No. 259476)
I agree with number five.
0 people like this.
Reply 26 - Posted by:
caljeepgirl 12/11/2019 9:58:33 PM (No. 259481)
I'm with #13 on this one. Don't even dignify the House sham with anything other than the bare constitutionally required minimum! Meanwhile fingers and toes crossed that somehow the House settles for censure instead.
0 people like this.
Reply 27 - Posted by:
lana720 12/11/2019 10:55:16 PM (No. 259499)
I want to hear every dayum witness who will exonerate the President, even if and especially, if testimonies indict members of the House and Senate and their families! They are legion.
2 people like this.
Reply 28 - Posted by:
msjena 12/11/2019 11:30:04 PM (No. 259510)
I like this idea. There are big risks to calling unfriendly witnesses. And the Democrats would want to call their own witnesses. There were no witnesses at the Clinton trial. Just let each side present its case and then vote.
1 person likes this.
Reply 29 - Posted by:
Trigger2 12/12/2019 4:32:12 AM (No. 259623)
Sounds to me like some don't want their own crimes exposed...
0 people like this.
Reply 30 - Posted by:
tootall 12/12/2019 8:54:42 AM (No. 259814)
As many comments have said, so many Senators are guilty in one way or another. The Dems are threatening to expose everyone. 'If I'm going down, you're going down!'This could be a very disruptive process for our Government. It would reveal the dirty little secret that everyone already knows. They're (mostly) all compromised!
I say do it! We will survive it, and Freedom will win out in the end.
0 people like this.
Below, you will find ...
Most Recent Articles posted by "earlybird"
and
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
Comments:
At first blush, I don’t like the sound of this… Thune and Blunt are not friends of Trump. And they’re worried about Collins? So what’s new? Nothing Trump will please her, make her a sure vote. And Cory Gardner?