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Democrats say impeachment case 'has been proved' as they make final pitch – live Democrats say impeachment case 'has been proved' as they make final pitch – live
(32 minutes later)
Recording released as House impeachment managers finish presenting their opening arguments Friday – follow live updatesRecording released as House impeachment managers finish presenting their opening arguments Friday – follow live updates
Because everybody needs a hug after this week.
Most of the Republican ire focused in on the reference to the “head on a pike” threat. But others were also not that impressed with impeachment manager Adam Schiff for other reasons:
With the eyes on Washington on the impeachment trial, Tulsi Gabbard goes on Fox.
ABC News has posted audio from the recording in which Donald Trump purportedly talks about firing then-US ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch a year before she was recalled from Kyiv.ABC News has posted audio from the recording in which Donald Trump purportedly talks about firing then-US ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch a year before she was recalled from Kyiv.
“Get rid of her!” said a voice that appears to be Trump’s voice. “Get her out tomorrow. I don’t care. Get her out tomorrow. Take her out. OK? Do it.”“Get rid of her!” said a voice that appears to be Trump’s voice. “Get her out tomorrow. I don’t care. Get her out tomorrow. Take her out. OK? Do it.”
Yovanovitch was recalled from Kyiv over what she called “unfounded and false claims by people with clearly questionable motives”.Yovanovitch was recalled from Kyiv over what she called “unfounded and false claims by people with clearly questionable motives”.
As we prepare to head into Day 5 of the impeachment trial tomorrow morning, the brilliant Matthew Cantor has a rundown of all the ways the senators are getting through the proceedings:As we prepare to head into Day 5 of the impeachment trial tomorrow morning, the brilliant Matthew Cantor has a rundown of all the ways the senators are getting through the proceedings:
If you want the full account of the impeachment trial today, my colleague Tom McCarthy has the details:If you want the full account of the impeachment trial today, my colleague Tom McCarthy has the details:
In non-impeachment news, if you were wondering what Marianne Williamson was up to these days since dropping out of the presidential race, well, here she is with Andrew Yang:In non-impeachment news, if you were wondering what Marianne Williamson was up to these days since dropping out of the presidential race, well, here she is with Andrew Yang:
Here’s some more reaction to Schiff’s allusion to the alleged “head on a pike” comment:Here’s some more reaction to Schiff’s allusion to the alleged “head on a pike” comment:
CBS News reported last night that Republican senators were very threateningly warned: “Vote against the president, and your head will be on a pike.”CBS News reported last night that Republican senators were very threateningly warned: “Vote against the president, and your head will be on a pike.”
Impeachment manager Adam Schiff alluded to this in his closing remarks. “I don’t know if that’s true, but when I read that I was struck by the irony,” he said. “I hope it’s not true. But I was struck by the irony of the idea that when we’re talking about a president who would make himself a monarch, that whoever it was that said that would use a penalty that was posed by a monarch.”Impeachment manager Adam Schiff alluded to this in his closing remarks. “I don’t know if that’s true, but when I read that I was struck by the irony,” he said. “I hope it’s not true. But I was struck by the irony of the idea that when we’re talking about a president who would make himself a monarch, that whoever it was that said that would use a penalty that was posed by a monarch.”
Outside Senate chambers, the Republican Senator James Lankford told reporters that the president never told Republican senators that their heads would be on a pike if they voted against him (note: CBS News never outright states if the warning came from the president himself).Outside Senate chambers, the Republican Senator James Lankford told reporters that the president never told Republican senators that their heads would be on a pike if they voted against him (note: CBS News never outright states if the warning came from the president himself).
“None of us have been told that by the president,” Lankford said. “I was visibly upset by it, the whole room was visibly upset by it.”“None of us have been told that by the president,” Lankford said. “I was visibly upset by it, the whole room was visibly upset by it.”
The Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown thought the reaction from the Republican senators spoke of something else.The Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown thought the reaction from the Republican senators spoke of something else.
“The fact when Adam Schiff said that about the head on a pike, that was the only time I heard a loud audible reaction from the Republican side,” Brown told reporters. “Methinks thou doth protest too much.”“The fact when Adam Schiff said that about the head on a pike, that was the only time I heard a loud audible reaction from the Republican side,” Brown told reporters. “Methinks thou doth protest too much.”
“They’re afraid to do the right thing here,” Brown said.“They’re afraid to do the right thing here,” Brown said.
It appears to be the Tweeting Hour for Donald Trump, who continued on his retweet tirade, who has reposted six more tweets along with two more original tweets hyping up Sean Hannity.It appears to be the Tweeting Hour for Donald Trump, who continued on his retweet tirade, who has reposted six more tweets along with two more original tweets hyping up Sean Hannity.
“Give America a fair trial,” impeachment manager Adam Schiff said, wrapping up the Democrats’ opening statements. “She’s worth it.”
And just like that, Senate has adjourned for the night. The impeachment trial continues tomorrow morning.
As impeachment manager Adam Schiff continues to talk, Donald Trump has gone on a retweeting frenzy. He reposted a tweet of his from earlier today, as well as one from the Senate Republicans account, and one each from Republican senators John Barrasso and Marsha Blackburn.
After hours of impeachment trial this week:
Politico is reporting that “a small minority” of Republican senators may “end up mildly criticizing president’s behavior in requesting investigations into Joe Biden and delaying military aid to Ukraine”.
“But any expressions of disapproval are muted, or explained away as an honest mistake by a frustrated president who just wanted to fight corruption in Ukraine.”
“I do things every week that are inappropriate. So no, I’m not going to go down that road,” Senator Roger Wicker told Politico. “This is a constitutional remedy that was designed for the most extreme of cases and we’re just not anywhere in that [ball] park.”
While we were all busy at the impeachment trial, the White House was tweeting about Donald Trump accepting that Russia meddled in the 2016 election.
But the clip tweeted out on the official White House account was from July 2018.
Schiff is now going point by point over what he anticipates the White House will say tomorrow.
Schiff warned that the legal team will attack the impeachment managers, “those managers are just awful, they’re terrible people, especially that Schiff guy, he’s the worst, he’s the worst.” He warned that they will try to distract with Biden and Burisma, corruption and burden-sharing, and question the motives of the whistleblower.
“Do you want to know why the president is mad at the whistleblower?” Schiff said. “Because but for the whistleblower, he wouldn’t have been caught. And that is an unforgivable sin.”
Impeachment manager Adam Schiff read out each allegation laid out against President Trump in the articles of impeachment, ending each statement with, “That has been proved”.
“The facts have been proved,” Schiff said. “Those facts are not contested. We have met our burden.”
This portion of the impeachment trial is winding down, with Schiff taking the floor to lay out the significance of this particular trial. As noted many, many times by the Democrats, this is the first president in history to defy an impeachment inquiry in the way Trump has, by ordering various members of his administration to not comply with congressional subpoenas.
Article 1 of the articles of impeachment focuses on abuse of power, and Article 2 focuses on obstruction of Congress. Schiff said there will be no more Article 1 with no Article 2 this time around - that if the Senate does not hold the president accountable for obstruction of Congress, Congress will never have the power of impeachment again.
“As I said before, our relationship with Ukraine will survive,” Schiff said. “God willing, our relationship with Ukraine will survive and Ukraine will prosper and we will get beyond this ugly chapter in our history. But if we’re to decide here that a president of the United States can simply say, under Article 2 I can do whatever I want and I don’t have to treat a branch of this government like it exists...that will be an unending injury to this country.”
Senator Tim Kaine gets carded outside the impeachment trial.
While we were watching the impeachment trial, Donald Trump was accepting that Russia meddled in the 2016 election.
“I have felt very strongly that while Russia’s actions had no impact at all on the outcome of the election, let me be totally clear in saying, and I’ve said this many times, I accept our intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election took place,” Trump said.
“There was no collusion,” he added.
Jay Sekulow, attorney for President Trump, addressed the media during the dinner recess: “Look, for whatever reason, the house managers decided to not just open the door, but kick the door open on the Burisma-Biden matter,” he said, hinting at what his focus will be during the impeachment trial.
In addressing the situation with former US ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, whom Trump was caught on recording calling to be removed, Sekulow said, “An ambassador serves at the pleasure of the president. You know who said that? The ambassador herself.”
Just before the dinner recess, impeachment manager Hakeem Jeffries spoke about the president’s procedural complaints.
“The constitution provides the House with the sole power of impeachment and the sole authority to determine the rules of its proceedings,” he said. “Given the constitution’s priority on this point, the president’s argument that he can engage in blanket obstruction is just dead wrong.”