Now that Trump’s lawyers have begun offering up their arguments against impeachment, many Democrats are saying they just made a great case for calling witnesses.
Trump’s defense team began this morning’s Senate session arguing that no one has testified they heard Trump directly demand a political quid pro quo from Ukraine or say he explicitly held up foreign aid to benefit himself.
So, wouldn’t calling witnesses with direct knowledge of the issues potentially solve the problem?
Not for Lindsey Graham. He stated, after this morning’s “brief” presentation by Trump’s lawyers, “I am more intent on ending this thing now with my vote. I really don’t want to turn the trial into a circus.”
Any person with even the slightest knowledge of trial procedure would tell you Graham has it completely backwards. A trial without witnesses IS a circus; nothing but a sham trial.
Yes, Senate Republicans have heard enough after three grueling days of arguments by the Democrats. They want to move on to other things … lunches with lobbyists and fundraising for the next election.
Having witnesses, like Bolton or Mulvaney, testify would only complicate things and make it more difficult for Senate Republicans to acquit Trump without looking like the unpatriotic, partisan hacks that they are.
Welcome to our brave new, dystopian, world of Orwellian doublespeak!
Photo | cnbc.com
Let’s face it, when you’ve already made up your mind what you’ve decided to think, you don’t want to hear witnesses who might present evidence against your beliefs.
Witnesses really do prolong trials and add complications. Perhaps America should go back to the past where one noble could decide whether or not someone’s guilty or not, and their punishment, without interference from troublesome witnesses and lawyers and juries.
Really, don’t the words below sound like they came from some anti-American socialist?
“In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.”
The circus came to town as soon as the Orange turd got elected. Hopefully on January 20, 2021, the show will be closed down forever together with the Turtle exhibit.
If the show does not close on January 20, 2021 say goodbye to our democracy.
America’s democracy has survived, even with what happened on January 20, 2017. America has the world’s second longest continuing constitution in the world (first longest if you don’t count San Marino). America’s founders were wise enough to have a system of checks and balances in place so that one person couldn’t single-handedly ruin the country. (I know, the problem isn’t just Trump, it’s that people believe him, but let me stay optimistic for now.)
America survived the Revolutionary War, the Great War, Great Depression, the second Great War (World War II), the Nuclear Threat, the Great Recession, and even the Civil War. I think it can survive one incompetent president (even if it is one who doesn’t listen to his advisors).
Still, I very much look forward to going to the homepage of whitehouse.gov and not seeing a photo of Donald J. Trump smiling eerily at me.
I wish I were as optimistic as you! American democracy will not survive a second Trump term, I fear.
Lindsey really should talk less. He doesn’t’t ever seem to make sense anymore. Why would having witnesses at a trial cause “a circus”? The circus happens when there is no evidence or testimony allowed by the court.