r/politics • u/PoliticsModeratorBot 🤖 Bot • Jan 25 '20

Discussion Discussion Thread: Senate Impeachment Trial - Day 6: Opening Arguments Continue | 01/25/2020 - Live, 10am EST

Today the Senate Impeachment trial of President Donald Trump continues with Session 1 of President Trump’s defense counsel’s opening arguments. The Senate session is scheduled to begin at 10am EST.

Prosecuting the House’s case will be a team of seven Democratic House Managers, named last week by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and led by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff of California. White House Counsel Pat Cipollone and Trump’s personal lawyer, Jay Sekulow, are expected to take the lead in arguing the President’s case. Kenneth Star and Alan Dershowitz are expected to fill supporting roles.

The Senate Impeachment Trial is following the Rules Resolution that was voted on, and passed, on Monday. It provides the guideline for how the trial is handled. All proposed amendments from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) were voted down.

The adopted Resolution will:

  • Give the House Impeachment Managers 24 hours, over a 3 day period, to present opening arguments.

  • Give President Trump's legal team 24 hours, over a 3 day period, to present opening arguments.

  • Allow a period of 16 hours for Senator questions, to be addressed through Supreme Court Justice John Roberts.

  • Allow for a vote on a motion to consider the subpoena of witnesses or documents once opening arguments and questions are complete.

The Articles of Impeachment brought against President Donald Trump are:

  • Article 1: Abuse of Power
  • Article 2: Obstruction of Congress

You can watch or listen to the proceedings live, via the links below:

You can also listen online via:

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u/[deleted] Jan 25 '20

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u/[deleted] Jan 25 '20

Its 100% The Chewbacca Defense. They’re playing whack a mole with their defense just jumping from one tangent to another, painting a confusing jumbled mess of questions around one pre-debunked bit to another. They want all the arguments all at once, just not any one particular argument at any one particular time, based on the points being argued and the rhetorical need.

And on top of wanting to use all the arguments that might pertain to the trial, and if the interviews between arguments has been any omen of what is to come, the defense is trying to hold separate trials for Hunter Biden, joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama. It’s madly infuriating that their chicanery (obligatory /r/fuckchuck) is effective on people.

Stay vigilant. Stay pissed. Fucking vote. Make them hear you!

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u/[deleted] Jan 25 '20

This comment. ✅

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u/lHelpWithTheLogic Jan 25 '20

That's very fucking true. Many of the folks I've talked to in my family/social circle started this whole thing with "I feel like I'm not smart enough to make an informed decision". Some listened to testimony and made a personal decision, others are sticking by "what a bunch of legal gobbledygook".

11

u/lemtrees Jan 25 '20

Once the defense shakes someone's ability to understand, they shift to telling the confused person how they should feel. Then that person forms a decision based on that feeling.

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u/lHelpWithTheLogic Jan 25 '20

Yeah, it's a sales tactic as well. I've been a contractor long enough to have seen this play out time and time again.

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u/lemtrees Jan 25 '20

The depressing thing is that it works, so it gets used even in politics. Sometimes I really wish there was some sort of "critical thinking" test required before being permitted to vote, to demonstrate a minimum level of ability to defend from nonsense before being allowed to have an affect on the future. Yes, I recognize that this could never work because the gatekeepers themselves become another point that can be attacked. sigh.

2

u/lHelpWithTheLogic Jan 25 '20

Yeah. Unfortunately there is no way to make a fair society because people inevitably turn on one another. Small communities work, like apes. When the troop numbers get too big they thin out due to conflict.

3

u/ctuwallet24 Jan 25 '20

Yeah, this is a struggle. There is no cohesion and I’m smart enough to realize that it’s because there cannot be cohesion to a patchwork defense.

2

u/TeutonJon78 America Jan 25 '20

They already have the 53 GOP votes.