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Posted on 01/22/2020 8:25:16 AM PST by jazusamo
The first day of the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump was largely taken up with procedural issues. Senators argued over and then adopted an organizing resolution laying out the rules under which the trial will proceed.
In his opening statement, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., charged that the resolution proposed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was “partisan,” a “national disgrace,” and a “dark day in Senate history.”
All of this heated rhetoric was based on Schumer’s misleading claim that McConnell’s resolution was unfair and significantly different from the resolution governing Bill Clinton’s trial. Yet the resolution adopted by the Senate (after Republicans voted down and tabled a series of Democratic amendments) is substantially the same as the resolution approved by the Senate 100-0 for the Clinton trial.
~snip~
So what are the differences between the Clinton and Trump resolutions? Both provide that the House shall file with the Senate all “publicly available materials” produced by the House committees involved in the impeachment investigations, including “transcripts of public hearings or mark-ups and any materials printed by the House of Representatives” pursuant to the impeachment resolutions.
The only difference is that in the Clinton case, these materials were automatically admitted into evidence. The Trump resolution provides that they will also be admitted into evidence “subject to any hearsay, evidentiary, or other objections that the President may make after opening presentations.” That makes sense from both a fairness and fundamental due process standpoint.
Why? Because in the Clinton impeachment investigation, unlike the Trump impeachment investigation, representatives of both political parties were allowed to fully cross-examine and call witnesses of their choice.
In the current case, House Democrats changed the rules to prevent Republicans and the president’s lawyers from being able to fully participate, cross-examine witnesses, or even call witnesses they***
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
If it were to come to pass that President Trump is removed, it will be violent.
Violent doesn't even begin to describe what would happen.
If I were a politician or a TV talking head I'd be looking for transport out of the country.
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public testimony to be released. No mention of closed door so Republicans could get Atkinson’s closed door testimony.
He is the key to the impeachment. If he hadn’t changed the rules we wouldn’t be here at impeachment.
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