Representative Cicilline defends decision to not call witnesses in second impeachment trial
Senator Whitehouse explains why he called for suspending the trial to depose witnesses
By Edward Fitzpatrick Globe Staff,Updated February 24, 2021, 6:27 p.m.
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Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, top left, Representative David N. Cicilline, top right, Professor David A. Logan, bottom right,
and Professor Michael J. Gerhardt, bottom left, appear during online program on former President Trump s second impeachment trial.Handout
BRISTOL, R.I. â One of the more-hotly contested issues during former President Donald Trumpâs second impeachment trial wasnât about the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol building. It was about whether or not to call on live witnesses to testify against the president. And two members of Rhode Islandâs congressional delegation found themselves taking up opposite sides of the issue.
University of Baltimore law professor Kimberly Wehle and former Deputy Independent Counsel Sol Wisenberg weigh in on America s News HQ
Democrat impeachment managers on Saturday drew harsh criticism from both the left and the right after their stark reversal on whether to call witnesses in the Senate trial of former President Donald Trump.
Trump was found not guilty of inciting an insurrection in a 57-43 vote Saturday.
Critics said Democrats caved for having a press release from Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Wash., read into the record after initially asking to depose her a move that could have potentially elongated the impeachment trial by weeks.
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The announcement set off something of a scramble as the two sides mulled how to move forward. Trump s team threatened to call hundreds of witnesses, something they did not have the authority to do but reflected their willingness to drag out the trial for weeks if Democrats insisted on having additional testimony.
Instead, the Senate entered a statement Herrera Beutler released on Friday night into the trial record. The agreement allowed the trial to proceed to closing arguments and a final vote on Trump s guilt on Saturday.
Some Biden allies expressed relief that the Senate would not hear from witnesses, arguing an extended trial would hinder efforts to confirm the president s nominees and work on his legislative agenda.
Democrats are reviving a debate over whether to call witnesses for the impeachment trial against former President Trump, an issue that as of Friday many senators viewed as settled.Neither House impeachment managers nor Trump's legal team had formally closed the door to calling witnesses, but senators on both sides of the aisle expected they wouldn't and that the trial would wrap up on Saturday.But some Democrats are now endorsing the idea in.