Read on Twitter
Looks like the impeachment trial is starting soon. I'm going to livetweet as much as I can. https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1359200450009038853
I don't love that this starts with a prayer but given that it is, I think this prayer asking people to choose between good and evil, truth and falsehood is a good theme.
Seeing adults do the pledge of allegiance is always weird to me.
Sergeant-at-arms proclamation: All persons are required to remain silent on pain of imprisonment while the Senate is sitting for the impeachment trial of Donald John Trump, former President of the United State.
Impeachment managers are present; Schumer introduces a rules resolution agreed to by the impeachment mangers, and cosponsored by McConnell (!!!).
Schumer asks for the yeas and nays. Clerk calls the roll, because that's how recorded votes work in the Senate. (The House does recorded votes by electronic device so that multiple members can vote at once.)
But maybe there's also another way the Senate votes too? Because I think that John McCain was the last senator to vote on the 2017 healthcare bill, and I remember him doing so in the well of the Senate rather than in response to his name being called?
They're up to H and so far everyone but Hawley has voted aye I think?
But I'm not sure if I heard Cruz's vote, so I could be wrong about that.
Lee voted no (IDK who that is but presumably a Republican?). Manchin voted yea.
Ossoff has voted aye and the fact that he's in a position to do so made me smile.
Oh, I'm wrong, Cruz voted no. https://twitter.com/CraigCaplan/status/1359202732045971459
I'm kind of surprised by this one, IDK why. https://twitter.com/CraigCaplan/status/1359203253662208000
Tuberville is the one who unfortunately defeated Doug Jones for the Alabama seat in the 2020 election. His no vote is pretty unsurprising. https://twitter.com/nycsouthpaw/status/1359203497347076106
I guess that Ron Johnson is unsurprising; he is notorious for obnoxious no votes. https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/1359202644624031749
The rules resolution passes 89-11.
Four hours of argument on each side, equally divided, on whether impeachment after leaving office is constitutional.
Four hours of argument on each side, equally divided, on whether impeachment after leaving office is constitutional.
Raskin for the it's constitutional side; I didn't catch who for the other side - Castor?
They're both asked which side they're on, which is silly but kind of makes sense for a certain formality.
They're both asked which side they're on, which is silly but kind of makes sense for a certain formality.
Jamie Raskin goes first, reassures people that he's not going to boringly blather an extended blather on the federalist papers, "because our case is based on cold hard facts. It's all about the facts."
"The president's lawyers are here to prevent the facts from being heard before the trial even begins."
Raskin says that it's absurd and unacceptable to create a January exception that would allow a president to commit high crimes and misdemeanors in the end of their term.
Because it would obviously allow violent election interference with impunity.
Because it would obviously allow violent election interference with impunity.
Raskin: "What will the January exception mean to future generations if you accept it? I will show you."
Shows a clip of Trump inciting insurrectionist violence on January 6th.
Shows a clip of Trump inciting insurrectionist violence on January 6th.
Raskin shows a clip of the Senate filing in to count the electoral votes and the mob attacking the Capitol, interspersed with Trump inciting violence.
Jamie Raskin is very, very good at this. He's a Constitutional scholar *and* an accomplished teacher. https://twitter.com/harrylitman/status/1359205817015173120
January 6th was an awful, awful day. https://twitter.com/BBuchman_CNS/status/1359205667966484480
Raskin plays a clip from McConnell's speech denouncing conspiracy theories about the 2020 elections.
This is a *powerful* summary of what all happened on January 6th 2021.
And if it's not, it's triggering memories that they *need* to be reminded of. https://twitter.com/HelenKennedy/status/1359205491306602505
He was the right choice for this. https://twitter.com/JulianCastro/status/1359206088743280641
(C-SPAN's captions are, as usual, terrible.)
A clip that shows insurrectionists waving Trump flags.
(I don't understand how a CART captioner could *possibly* misunderstand "stop the steal" and "traitor" in this context, so either C-SPAN is using a completely incompetent provider who they should replace or they're using automated captions and they should hire a human.)
I'd blocked a lot this out of this out of memory, and I think there are a lot of parts I didn't see in real time because of how many things are happening all at once.
I imagine that I'll be reminded of this a lot over the course of this trial. https://twitter.com/speechboy71/status/1359207848442548227
I imagine that I'll be reminded of this a lot over the course of this trial. https://twitter.com/speechboy71/status/1359207848442548227
It really does. https://twitter.com/eyokley/status/1359208200864694272
Raskin "If that's not an impeachable offense, then nothing is." https://twitter.com/eyokley/status/1359208200864694272
Two. Hours. And wasn't this *before* he was banned from Twitter? https://twitter.com/JenGRodgers/status/1359208436223909892
I can't live tweet this justice, but I'll say that I always admire the way that Jamie Raskin talks about his oath and how seriously he takes it.
Jame Raskin speaks with an extraordinarily clear and understandable moral voice.
He also has a lot of expertise on the threat of right wing extremist violence because he's prioritized learning about it over the past few years. https://twitter.com/AnthonyMKreis/status/1359209032150491138
He also has a lot of expertise on the threat of right wing extremist violence because he's prioritized learning about it over the past few years. https://twitter.com/AnthonyMKreis/status/1359209032150491138
And he's saying this with so much love. https://twitter.com/JenGRodgers/status/1359209149570158596
And he's also listing a lot of precedent and even codification of impeachment after an official has left office. https://twitter.com/jentaub/status/1359210160770740231
This is an important point and he's so thoroughly making the point about the constitutionality of this trial. https://twitter.com/jentaub/status/1359210515730432010
Raskin "President Trump may not have known a lot about the framers, but they sure knew a lot about him."
Now another impeachment manager Rep. Neguse (D-CO), is outlining all kinds of precedent supporting their core point: There is no January exception.
Because this is in part a trial about the importance of defending democracy from the threat posed by white supremacist and antisemitic insurrection, I’m going to mention that @RepRaskin is Jewish and @RepJoeNeguse is Black.
Another impeachment manager, @RepCicilline, is both gay and Jewish.
He was a leader in introducing the impeachment resolution.
I’m not sure about the demographics of the other impeachment managers but I do know that some of them are women.
He was a leader in introducing the impeachment resolution.
I’m not sure about the demographics of the other impeachment managers but I do know that some of them are women.
Neguse quotes a statement by Turley in favor of the constitutionality of impeaching an official from office.
Turley is an obnoxious lawyer (I think a lot professor) who notoriously made ridiculous constitutional arguments in defense of Trump during the first impeachment.
Turley is an obnoxious lawyer (I think a lot professor) who notoriously made ridiculous constitutional arguments in defense of Trump during the first impeachment.
Live tweeting more slowly now because I’m also feeding the baby and only have one hand available.
It’s a little surreal informing her that it’s ok and she’s a squishy squashy baby while I’m talking to Twitter about terrifying insurrectionist violence.
I’m glad she’s too young to understand what’s on my TV right now.
I’m glad she’s too young to understand what’s on my TV right now.
Twitter broke my thread so linking it here. https://twitter.com/RutiRegan/status/1359218824445321217
