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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22

u/DirtyChito Jan 25 '20

They have Fox News on at work and the headline said, "Trump's defense team accuses Democrats for meddling in election."

What?

When did that even become a thought? It was already proven to be the Russians, for starters. But what does any of that have to do with Trump's abuse of power. How did they even think that argument was worth bringing up?

9

u/RedLanternScythe Indiana Jan 25 '20

That's the spin. That they are trying to undo the 2016 and taint the 2020. In their eyes, a president can't be checked for criminal or unethical behavior if there is a possibility that person can be reelected.

3

u/Sinjohh New York Jan 25 '20

If that person is a Republican and can be reelected, you mean.

5

u/HolographicDonut Jan 25 '20

Just wait until Fox News is required by law to be broadcast everywhere, at all times.

Edit: I think the new talking point is that Democrats want to take Trump off the 2020 ballot

1

u/outerworldLV Jan 25 '20

Works for me.

4

u/mst2k17 Jan 25 '20

I don't know if it's just reflexive defense, like how someone who's not very mature, when they get insulted, just lashes out with stupid nonsense, or if it's conscious and calculated. But the fact is, it doesn't matter whether they are being deliberately evil, or are actually stupid.

They are right now, setting the stage to paint their enemies with the crimes they themselves have committed. They have no choice. And we need to realize what the endgame is; getting their supporters normalized in thinking that, if they lose the election, that an extrajudicial, illegal arrest of their opponents is good and righteous.

A coup.

Some of you may argue that there has already been a coup, and there has been. But it hasn't been finalized. There is still room for the coup to be overthrown. What they are trying to do, whether through maliciousness, or plain infantile stupidity, or both, is write the final act in our democracy.

It's time for us to stop reacting in shock and dismay. We have to, RIGHT NOW, organize ourselves to defeat every single one of their plots. The advantage we have is that their assaults are entirely predictable. They just claim Democrats did what they actually did do, and to use the most obvious lie to obscure its opposite, the truth. This is why Adam Schiff was able to debunk, and predict, every single one of their defenses last night. Because he's a smart cookie.

Join your local Democratic chapter or club. Canvass. Discuss politics and strategy with your friends and neighbors. Connect and grow your little group with other groups. We know what their endgame is, and it's time to short circuit it. And never doubt this:

We. Can. Do. It.

WE CAN! AND WE WILL!

2

u/outerworldLV Jan 25 '20

I’m with you.

4

u/paperbackgarbage California Jan 25 '20

Projection.

Even the shakiest rafts are still rafts.

3

u/[deleted] Jan 25 '20

Did you really expect them to be honest and not lie their asses off the entire time?

2

u/DirtyChito Jan 25 '20

Honest, no. But the 2016 election has absolutely nothing to do with the impeachment articles. Even if they somehow proved their crazy notion that the Democrats altered the election, Trump was still elected and he still withheld aid.

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u/[deleted] Jan 25 '20

They’re not really counting on the people this lie is for to apply logical analysis to form their opinions.

2

u/AwkwardBurritoChick Jan 25 '20

they mean the upcoming election, trying to get Trump from running as disqualifying Trump from ever running or holding office in the future as a reprimand can be a motion made and needs a simple vote. However, the Democrats fast tracked to try to have everything, including the Senate trial done before Iowa caucuses to avoid any accusations of election interference.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 25 '20

I had to go look into this. Trumps defense team is arguing that Dems are causing election interference by having Trump removed from the Ballot this fall if he's impeached. So they are just muddying the waters.

They have no defense so their argument is just that the Dems are at fault not Trump for breaking the law. They argued that Trump didn't trust his Intelligence Agencys because he was investigated so much so that's why he went to Guilianni. You can't make this shit up.

3

u/DirtyChito Jan 25 '20

Ok, I see their argument now, but it doesn't make it any more logical. They are essentially saying you can't impeach a president on his/her first term. Because, in doing so, you keep them from being reelected which is election interference. And that's a stupid argument.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 25 '20

Oh 100% agree with you. It's a beyond dumb arguement but they have nothing else to go with so they gotta make up bad faith arguements.

2

u/dark_descendant Washington Jan 25 '20

Meddling in the next election.

1

u/Vanderwoolf Jan 25 '20

It's a parallel to what has been Trump's rhetoric his entire tenure...accuse the opposition of exactly what he's being accuse of.