Lead House impeachment manager Adam Schiff kicked off opening arguments in Trump’s impeachment trial today: “A president this unapologetic, this lawless, this unbound to the Constitution and the oath of office must be removed from that office, lest he continue to use the vast presidential powers at his disposal to seek advantage in the next election. … If we don’t stand up to this peril today, we will write the history of our decline with our own hand.”
Schiff was followed by New York Congressman Jerry Nadler, who continued laying out the case that President Trump abused his power in office by pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political rival, Joe Biden.
“The evidence shows that President Trump unlawfully withheld military assistance appropriated by Congress to aid our ally in order to extort that government into helping him with his reelection, then tried to cover it up when he got caught,” said Nadler.
Also on Tuesday, Chief Justice John Roberts criticized both sides of the Senate for their conduct: “I think it is appropriate at this point for me to admonish both the House managers and the president’s counsel in equal terms to remember that they are addressing the world's greatest deliberative body. One reason it has earned that title is because its members avoid speaking in a manner and using language that is not conducive to civil discourse. … I do think those addressing the Senate should remember where they are.”
We recap the trial so far, and look at what could come next.