Posted on 01/25/2021 8:08:07 PM PST by Helicondelta
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts will not preside over former President Trump’s Senate impeachment trial, which is scheduled to begin in earnest on Feb. 8.
Instead, Senate President Pro Tempore Patrick Leahy (Vt.), the most senior member of the Senate Democratic Conference, will preside over the trial.
Leahy on Monday confirmed he would wield the gavel and promised to administer “impartial justice.”
Republicans say Roberts’s absence undermines the legitimacy of the trial.
“The Constitution requires that the chief justice preside over the impeachment trial of a president but that’s not what we’re doing. To me that’s indicative of the fact that we’re in uncharted waters,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a member of the Judiciary Committee.
“I just think it looks very petty and vindictive and I understand there are a lot of people who are mad but the process itself already looks like a railroad job,” he added.
Cornyn said having a Democrat preside over the trial “really undermines the legitimacy.”
Other GOP senators echoed that criticism.
“If the chief justice doesn’t preside, I think it’s an illegitimate hearing and really goes to show that it’s not really constitutional to impeach someone who’s not president,” said Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).
Leahy on Monday pushed back on the Republican criticism.
“I have presided over hundreds of hours in my time in the Senate. I don’t think anybody has ever suggested I was anything but impartial in those hundreds of hours,” he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
More illegal pandering.
Then it’s not an impeachment trial.
The dems made a mockery of our sacred vote, why not make a real stink over everything else?
Hey Leahy,my 3 year old grandson says he’ll vote for impeachment..Just give him a call
I expect the R’s to cave and “convict”. I have no reason to think otherwise.
Not a trial. Just a show. And the Dems might not like the show by the time it’s over.
I expect Romney and the two retiring senators will vote to impeach. That’s about it.
Uncharted Waters my ass. Its Illegal you sack of crap.
You can’t impeach a President who is not in office.
And the man didn’t do anything wrong.
But the world is completely upside down and I fully suspect they will do whatever they please.
D.C. stands for Demonic Children.
A precedent had been set when a judge was impeached awhile back. The constitution allows this.
After the last 4 years, I have no doubt he will be convicted.
Illegitimate, unconstitutional kangaroo trial from an illegitimate, unconstitutional Stalinazi-Satanic Seditionist Congress.
Trump is and will be seen in the future as an American hero who fought tooth and nail to save the Republic when no one else would. History will also record that nearly every American politician fought against an America first agenda. Being impeached by the dogs will only boost the legend of Donald J. Trump.
The fact that they’re even seriously considering this is a travesty. EVERY Republican in the house and the Senate needs to go on strike because if they can impeach a non-government employee and “vote” that he can’t run for office they can just “impeach” all their political opposition and do the same thing.
Nope, IMO these Senate RINOs ( the worst of the worst ) will not be able to resist. I fully expect 20 R's to convict. Maybe more.
I don’t see any upside for a GOP senator voting to convict. It will just make them vulnerable to a primary challenge.
‘Leaky’ Leahy? ‘Impartial justice’? Sheeit........go ahead. Pull my other one.
The charge is that Trump lied about the false election results leading to the semi-riot at the Capitol.
So can Trump introduce... evidence of election fraud?
They’ve accused him of lying. Can he disprove it? And how does a juror sit as a judge?
Total farce.
Of course not. It’s just squalid melodramatic theater.
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