The Senate impeachment trial resumes at 1 p.m. Refresh this page for updates.
WASHINGTON – "Right matters. And the truth matters. Otherwise, we are lost."
With those words, House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff Thursday night tried to drive home the abuse of power charge the House filed against President Donald Trump that's at the center of the Senate impeachment trial. The trial resumes Friday at 1 p.m. with the California Democrat and other House managers laying out their case for the second impeachment article: obstruction of Congress.
In his closing speech Thursday, Schiff drew from U.S. Army Col. Alexander Vindman’s gripping testimony that he delivered to the House in November. In that hearing Vindman, a National Security Council official expressed deep concerns about the president's efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rivals, including Joe Biden.
“If right doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter how good the constitution is,” Schiff told the rapt chamber. "The framers could not protect us from ourselves if right and truth don’t matter. And you know what (Trump) did was not right."
Friday's argument: Trump obstructed Congress
House Democrats will focus on the accusation that President Donald Trump obstructed Congress when they resume and complete their opening argument Friday in the Senate trial.
The seven prosecutors, who are called managers, spent Wednesday outlining the two articles against Trump and detailing the evidence they gathered for the accusations of abuse of power and obstruction. They spent Thursday outlining the legal and constitutional reasons that they said the evidence justified the charge of abuse of power.
On Friday, the managers will explain how the law and Constitution apply to the evidence for obstruction. Schiff, the lead manager, said Thursday that the arguments condensed hundreds of hours of depositions and testimony, but that there might be repetition in the presentations as more context is provided.
“We will now show you these facts and many others and how they are interwoven,” Schiff said. “You will see some of these facts and videos therefore in a new context, in a new light, in the light of what else we know and why it compels a finding of guilt and conviction. So there is some method to our madness.”
The third session of up to eight hours will complete the opening argument from House Democrats. Trump’s legal team is expected to begin Saturday up to 24 hours of opening argument spanning three sessions.
“We’re going to respond of course to what the House managers have put forward,” Jay Sekulow, one of Trump’s private lawyers, told reporters Wednesday. “And we’re going to make an affirmative case defending the president.”
Republican senators eager to hear from Trump’s defense team.
“There’s all kinds of allegations that have been thrown up in the air and so they'll have a chance to lay out their timeline, their version of events,” said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.
In focusing on abuse of power Thursday, another manager, Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said Trump could have been impeached just for asking Ukraine to investigate his political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden. But Nadler said Trump went further, withholding $391 million in vital military aid and a White House meeting.
"Since President George Washington took office in 1789, no president has abused his power in this way," Nadler said. "No president has ever used his office to compel a foreign nation to help him cheat in our elections."
Nadler said the accusation of obstruction stems from Trump directing his administration to defy all subpoenas for testimony and documents during the investigation.
“The articles are overwhelmingly supported by the evidence amassed by the House, notwithstanding the president’s complete stonewalling, his attempt to block all witnesses and all documents from the United States Congress,” Nadler said. “It puts even President Nixon to shame.”
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMif2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnVzYXRvZGF5LmNvbS9zdG9yeS9uZXdzL3BvbGl0aWNzLzIwMjAvMDEvMjQvaW1wZWFjaG1lbnQtZGVtb2NyYXRzLXdyYXAtdXAtb3BlbmluZy1hcmd1bWVudHMtdHJ1bXAtdHJpYWwvNDU1NzY5MTAwMi_SASdodHRwczovL2FtcC51c2F0b2RheS5jb20vYW1wLzQ1NTc2OTEwMDI?oc=5
2020-01-24 12:56:15Z
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar