Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) described the situation as follows: “Imagine the Ukraine call being streamed on the Internet.” And given how rude most members of both parties are, he remarks: ‘It is not clear to me that there is evidence that will change anyone’s mind. ”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell are still negotiating on how to organize the trial, so it’s not even sure whether the Senate will vote on the question of evidence at all, or whether someone will force one at the beginning of the trial.
But for the moment, the trial is not expected to last more than a week, but that could change if witnesses are brought in. Some Senate Democrats called for a speedy trial, citing other priorities such as coronavirus relief and the extreme likelihood that 17 Republicans will condemn Trump along with them. Meanwhile, most Republicans are merging over the argument that the accusation of a former president is unconstitutional.
“Both sides want to shut it down pretty quickly,” John Thune (RS.D.) said. ‘If they want to call witnesses, it definitely prolongs it. And I think you’re talking about going in next week, maybe the week after, because then both parties will have that option available. ”
Senate Democrats, however, will largely refer the indictment managers of the House to the question of witnesses. The drivers have not yet said in public whether they want to bring in outside witnesses to present their case against Trump, and whether they will simply rely on the video and public comments of the former president as evidence. General Manager Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) Asked Trump to testify Thursday, but the former president turned down the request.
Whether the House executives should pressure the Senate to hold a vote to sue Trump remains to be seen. But some Senate Democrats are already suggesting they have little interest in hearing from him.
“I do not know what it will add,” said Senus Angus King (I-Maine.), Who speaks to Democrats.
” A just awful idea, ” adds Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.). ‘He will reject himself, and therefore he is the one in danger. But I can not tell you how much I enjoyed my first full Trump-free week of the past five years. ‘
The witness debate last year devoured Trump’s first indictment, which lasted nearly three weeks. Senate Republicans have chosen to ask whether witnesses should be brought in at the end of the trial. In the end, only two Republicans made sense. Mitt Romney of Utah and Susan Collins of Maine – joined the Democrats to vote that officials like John Bolton could testify, leaving the 51 votes needed for Democrats.
Democratic senators have argued that outside witnesses were needed to understand the extent to which Trump has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky under pressure to investigate his Democratic rivals, including Joe Biden, in exchange for much-needed aid. This time, they tell how their own lives were endangered by rioters and watched Trump’s reaction in real time.
“This is a unique situation in that we are all witnesses as well as victims,” said Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Adding that she wants to “listen to how the House wants to state their case.”
The process around the second process of accusation is also different. The House spent two months between the start of its investigation and the final indictment to investigate Trump’s call and withhold custody of his government from Ukraine, hold several hearings and request documents from the White House – requesting that the Trump government is ignored. For the January 6 uprising, the House voted a week later to accuse Trump and never conducted a formal investigation.
Perhaps the most striking difference is that Trump is no longer in office. The Senate has never held an indictment for a former president – although many lawyers, including some from the Conservative Federalist Association, claim that the chamber could still convict Trump. Democrats say the Senate should hold Trump accountable and deter him from running for public office. Although the trial does not lead to a conviction, the Democrats emphasize that it will give the public a record of 6 January.
While almost no one expects the trial to continue, Democrats do not exclude the witnesses. In interviews this week, some senators said they would support taking in individuals to testify if they could provide new information. However, they added that it is not up to them to give advice to the home managers.
“I’m not going to object if they want to bring in witnesses,” Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.) Said. “However, I think it’s not my call, it’s their call.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s legal team is not expected to use witnesses. But senators say they will be open to their request.
“If he and his team think they need it, it’s not a fair trial if you say ‘no, you can not have it,'” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) Said. I thought last year’s trial was a joke because they would not allow it, but just because the Republicans turned it into a sham a year ago, I’m not going to turn it into a sham now. ‘
Andrew Desiderio contributed to this report.