HOUSE APPEARS TO BELIEVE THEY COULD BLOCK HIM?
HERE WE GO.
I MEAN, IT’S STARTING.
YEAR FOUR OF THE TRUMP
PRESIDENCY, ONE YEAR TO GO
EXACTLY UNTIL THE NEXT
PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION, AND
DAY ONE OF THE PRESIDENT’S
TRIAL.
TRIAL. HERE WE GO.
JOINING US NOW IS NEAL KATYAL,
FORMER ACTING SOLICITOR GENERAL
UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE
TONIGHT.
TONIGHT. >> THANK YOU.
>> SO I’M NOT A LAWYER.
I DON’T EVEN PURPORT TO PLAY ONE
ON TELEVISION.
ON TELEVISION. AS I JUST LAID OUT WHAT I
UNDERSTAND IS BEING --
>> I’VE SEEN DERSHOWITZ, DON’T
WORRY ABOUT IT.
>> DID I GET THINGS WRONG BY
WHAT’S BEING EXPLAINED BY THE
SENATE MAJORITY LEADER.
>> NO, I THINK YOU GOT IT
EXACTLY RIGHT DESPITE NOT HAVING
A LAW DEGREE.
WE’RE ON THE EVE OF ONE OF THE
MOST IMPORTANT TRIALS NOT JUST
IN OUR LIFETIMES BUT AMERICAN
HISTORY.
HISTORY. AND THESE RULES HAVE BEEN
DROPPED ON US ON THE 11th HOUR.
EVERY ONE OF MY STUDENTS WHO
DROPS A PAPER AT ME IN THE 11th
HOUR, IT’S PRETTY SHODDY.
YOU USED THE PHRASE FROM A
CITIZEN’S POINT OF VIEW, LET’S
EVALUATE THIS.
EVALUATE THIS. I THINK THAT’S EXACTLY RIGHT
BECAUSE I DON’T THINK THIS IS
ABOUT THE REPUBLICANS WINNING IN
THESE RULES OR THE DEMOCRATS
LOSING.
LOSING. I THINK ULTIMATELY IT’S THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE WHO ARE PROFOUND
VICTIMS IF THESE ARE THE RULES
ARE ALLOWED TO TAKE PLACE.
WHAT THEY’LL DO IS FORCE THE
TRIAL TO OCCUR, PARTS OF IT AT
NIGHT WHEN NOBODY’S WATCHING.
THE ONLY THINGS THAT HAPPEN AT
MIDNIGHT A TRASH COLLECTION AND
THE EXECUTION OF PRISONERS.
I MEAN, THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF
THINGS THAT HAPPEN.
MAJOR GOVERNMENT DECISIONS AND
CERTAINLY GOVERNMENT TRIALS
DON’T HAPPEN AT THAT TIME BUT
ALL THESE RULES ARE UNITED BY
THE McCONNELL RULES ANNOUNCED
TONIGHT HAVE THE SAME BASIC
THEME, WHICH IS HOW DO WE HIDE
AS MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE
FROM THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, AND
THAT’S THE TRAVESTY OF THESE
RULES.
RULES. >> ONE THING THAT TRULY
SURPRISED ME, I DIDN’T KNOW ALLY
CAPELA WHAT TO EXPECT OVERALL
BUT I WAS SURPRISED TO SEE WHAT
APPEARS TO BE NO COMMITMENT TO
EVEN REVIEW THE EVIDENCE
COLLECTED BY THE HOUSE WHEN THEY
CONDUCTED THEIR INVESTIGATION OF
THIS SCANDAL AND WHEN THEY
PASSED THE ARTICLES OF
IMPEACHMENT.
IMPEACHMENT. IT MADE ME WONDER, IF THEY’RE
NOT COMMITTING AT THE OUTSET TO
ACCEPT THAT EVIDENCE FROM THE
HOUSE, THE WAY THEY DID IN THE
WITH CLINTON IMPEACHMENT,
DOESN’T THAT OPEN UP SENATOR
McCONNELL CHERRY PICK SPECIFIC
PIECES OF EVIDENCE.
SO WHEN AMBASSADOR GORDON
SONDLAND GOT A CALL FROM THE
PRESIDENT, THEY ACCEPT THAT, BUT
THEN THEY WOULDN’T ACCEPT AS
EVIDENCE THE PART WHEN GORDON
SONDLAND SAID HE DIDN’T BELIEVE
THE PRESIDENT ON THAT PHONE CALL
AND HE BELIEVES THERE WAS A QUID
PRO QUO.
PRO QUO. >> MY DEGREE SAYS THAT’S EXACTLY
RIGHT.
RIGHT. WHAT HAPPENED INTO THE CLINTON
RULES, THE EVIDENCE FROM THE
HOUSE WAS ADMITTED TO THE
SENATE.
SENATE. HERE THIS ALLOWS A CASE-BY-CASE
ADJUDICATION OF ALL THE EVIDENCE
THAT WAS ALREADY GENERATED IN
THE HOUSE.
THE HOUSE. REMEMBER, THESE ARE TRUMP’S OWN
ADMINISTRATION PEOPLE.
ADMINISTRATION PEOPLE. IT’S NOT LIKE THESE ARE, YOU
KNOW, PEOPLE, YOU KNOW,
WIDE-EYED, PEOPLE WHO ARE
ANTI-TRUMP PEOPLE OR SOMETHING
LIKE THAT FROM OUTSIDE THE
GOVERNMENT.
GOVERNMENT. THESE ARE VERY RESPECTED FOLKS
AND THERE WAS A PROCESS THERE.
AND LOOK, I UNDERSTAND THAT
THERE ARE A BUNCH OF PEOPLE,
REPUBLICANS, WHO SAY TRUMP DID
NOTHING WRONG AND SO ON.
THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT TRIALS ARE
ALL ABOUT.
ALL ABOUT. GET THAT EVIDENCE ADMITTED, HAVE
SOME NEW EVIDENCE IF YOU HAVE
ANY THAT EX-CULLCULPATES OR POIN
TRUMP BEING INNOCENT.
WHAT THEY’RE DOING IS SAYING
LET’S TRY TO HAVE A REALLY FAST
TRIAL ALL AT MIDNIGHT, NO