Here’s a thread for impeachment news, as the trial enters its second day.
Yesterday was dominated by fights over rules and the scope of the trial. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made some minor tweaks to his coverup effort under pressure from a few Republicans in his caucus, but otherwise held the line on his plot to limit the trial. Republicans blocked numerous attempts by Democrats over the course of 12 hours of debate to subpoena key documents from the White House and other federal agencies. They likewise blocked all attempts to call witnesses, such as former National Security Advisor John Bolton. All of these votes were on party lines, with Republicans voting in lockstep to approve McConnell’s rules and squelch attempts to compel testimony or additional evidence.
McConnell aims to proceed with a quickie sham trial with no witnesses or additional evidence, but the issue of witness testimony and subpoenaing additional documents will be revisited after each side makes their case. A scattering of wobbly Republicans have expressed openness to calling witnesses.
McConnell did cave on automatically entering the House’s findings as evidence into the Senate record, and allowed an extra day for each side to make their arguments.
Oral arguments by the House managers against Trump are slated to begin today. They will have 24 hours over the course of three business days to make their case. With the question of witnesses still in limbo, this series of speeches could present their only opportunity to make their case.
UPDATES:
The White House chose not to file a motion to dismiss this morning, which would have forced a vote dismiss the charges against him before arguments begin. The New York Times reports:
Though Republican leaders have been discouraging the president’s team from seeking a swift dismissal, Mr. Trump had endorsed the idea and his conservative allies said the Senate ought to vote promptly to do so. A dismissal vote this week would almost certainly have failed to attract a majority of senators, dividing Republicans and dealing Mr. Trump an early symbolic defeat.
A motion to dismiss could still be offered later in the trial. For now, Republican congressional leaders have counseled the White House that it is better politically for the trial to run its course and deliver a full acquittal of the president, rather than cutting it short and enabling Democrats to argue the result is illegitimate.
Trump, currently attending a getaway for plutocrats in Davos, Switzerland, held a press conference in which he babbled that he would be open to testimony from the witnesses that Democrats are seeking, contradicting the arguments his legal team made just yesterday. But then backtracked shortly thereafter, claiming that national security concerns should prevent that testimony.