An endless marathon. Debates at the trial for the impeachment of Donald Trump opened Tuesday before the United States Senate with a bitter battle over the rules of this historic meeting, the Democrats accusing the Republicans of organizing an acquittal at the pace of the President of the United States- United.
At 11 p.m. (5 a.m. Paris time), the dispute continued, the Republicans rejecting one by one the appeals of the Democrats who wanted to hear new witnesses and obtain the documents blocked by the White House during the impeachment investigation. The issue of Ukrainian soap opera witnesses should, however, be revisited next week and could this time be supported by a few Republicans.
" Shame on you "
In a preliminary statement, the Democrats' boss in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, accused the White House of concealment: "What are they trying to hide? If the president is innocent, why oppose the disclosure of the facts? "Then he accused the Republican senators of complicity, dropping a" Shame on you "(" Shame on you ").
The elected democrat Adam Schiff, charged with laying the accusation, reproached the presidential camp for organizing a "rigged trial" in the Senate. "It's perfect! So it's perfectly normal to twist an ally's arm while freezing military aid to get a boost in order to cheat in the next election," he said with irony. "The president evades all responsibility and places himself above the law: he cannot be charged, he cannot be dismissed. That makes him a monarch, exactly the danger against which the Constitution is supposed to protect us", a he thundered.
Impeachment "dangerous for the republic"
The defense of Donald Trump, led by White House legal counsel Pat Cipollone, countered that the President had "done nothing wrong." Wielding, also hyperbole, he believed that the indictment for "abuse of power" and "obstructing Congress" was "not only ridiculous but also dangerous for our Republic". "It is time to start" the trial "to be able to put an end to this ridiculous masquerade," he pleaded.
The senators agreed on the following timetable: each camp will finally have three eight-hour days to present its arguments. The "managers" of the House, who play the role of prosecutors, will draw first from Wednesday to Friday, then it will be the turn of Donald Trump's defense.
If the President is almost certain to be acquitted, the vote to hear witnesses, including former councilor John Bolton, who is expected to be back on the table next week - and could be supported by some moderate Republicans - could still reserve surprises. In the meantime, some are already finding it long: Idaho senator Jim Risch has been caught in the act of napping.
NYT has a sketch artist covering impeachment, catching moments like Sen. Risch sleeping https://t.co/kXf9Voi0Og pic.twitter.com/fH5fee7In4
- Michael Calderone (@mlcalderone) January 22, 2020World
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