DESERVES IS A FAIR AND A REAL AND AN OPEN TRIAL IN THE SENATE
OF THESE GRAVE CHARGES AGAINST
PRESIDENT TRUMP.
PRESIDENT TRUMP. >> DO YOU ACTUALLY THINK YOU
MIGHT GET THAT?
I MEAN THE IMMEDIATE PRECEDENT
HERE IS TELLING AND IMPORTANT
BECAUSE THERE ISN’T MUCH OTHER
PRECEDENT TO GO ON.
THERE’S ONLY BEEN TWO OTHER
IMPEACHMENT TRIALS IN THE SENATE
ERVIN U.S. HISTORY.
BUT THE IMMEDIATE PRECEDENT OF
THE SENATE TRIAL OF PRESIDENT
CLINTON INVOLVED SOME OF THE
SAME PEOPLE WHO ARE IN THE
SENATE TODAY, AND THEY WERE ALL
PART OF THAT PROCESS, THAT --
WAS IT SORT OF REMARKABLE AND
CIVIC-MINDED SALIENT THING.
THE DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS,
LEADERSHIP AGREED ON A SET OF
RULES THAT EARNED NOT ONLY
BIPARTISAN BUT UNANIMOUS SUPPORT
FROM ALL 100 MEMBERS OF THE
SENATE.
SENATE. THEY WERE ALL ONBOARD WITH THE
WAY THE SENATE TRIAL WAS
CONDUCTED FOR PRESIDENT CLINTON.
IT FEELS LIKE WE’RE A MILLION
MILES AWAY FROM THAT SORT OF AN
OUTCOME IN TERMS OF HOW SENATOR
McCONNELL IS HANDLING THIS IN
THE SENATE.
THE SENATE. BUT THAT’S ME LOOKING AT IT FROM
OUTSIDE.
OUTSIDE. I DON’T KNOW IF CLOSER TO THE
PROCESS YOU CAN SEE ANYMORE
REASON FOR HOPE.
>> WELL, WE CERTAINLY HAVE A
FAIRLY DIVIDED AND PARTISAN
SENATE AT THE MOMENT.
WE SPENT VIRTUALLY THE ENTIRE
DAY IN ROLL CALL VOTES ON
JUDICIAL CONFIRMATIONS RATHER
THAN DOING MORE SUBSTANTIVE
WORK.
WORK. AS YOU KNOW THE HOUSE HAS SENT
OVER BILL AFTER BILL THAT WOULD
DEAL WITH ALL SORTS OF IMPORTANT
ISSUES WHETHER IT’S CLIMATE
CHANGE, THE OPIOID CRISIS, GUN
VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS OR
PRUSCRIPTION DRUG PRICES.
AND MITCH McCONNELL, THE
MAJORITY LEADER IS PROUD OF
BEING THE LEADER THAT PRESIDES
OVER A LEGISLATIVE GRAVEYARD.
HIS RESPONSIBILITY NOW IS TO
NEGOTIATE WITH LEADER SCHUMER A
SET OF RULES AND APPROACH TOWARD
THE WITNESSES AND THE DOCUMENTS
THAT WOULD BE PART OF ANY TRIAL.
THAT GIVES US A REAL SHOT AT A
FAIR AND A REASONABLE TRIAL.
AS YOU REFERENCED, EVEN DURING
THE BITTER AND DIVIDED PERIOD IN
WHICH PRESIDENT CLINTON WAS
IMPEACHED, THERE WAS A VOTE,
ULTIMATELY A VOTE OF 100-1
ADOPTED THE RULES AND APPROACH
THAT WAS WORKED OUT BETWEEN THE
MAJORITY AND MINORITY LEADERS.
SO THERE IS PRECEDENT FOR THAT
AS MICHAEL BESCHLOSS JUST SAID A
FEW MINUTES AGO, THE
CONSTITUTION ENTRUSTED TO THE
SENATE THE TRIAL OF A PRESIDENT
WHO’S BEEN IMPEACHED BY THE
HOUSE BUT DOESN’T PROVIDE THE
RULES FOR IT.
SO WHAT WE LOOK FOR, I THINK, IS
THE EXPECTATIONS THAT THE
AVERAGE AMERICAN CITIZEN HAS
ABOUT WHAT A TRIAL LOOKS LIKE
BASED ON OUR EXPERIENCES WITH
TRIALS IN OUR COURTS.
THERE ARE FACT WITNESSES THAT
ARE DIRECTLY RELEVANT TO THE
CHARGE.
CHARGE. THERE ARE DOCUMENTS DIRECTLY
RELEVANT TO THE CHARGE, AND HERE
IT IS THE PRESIDENT’S OWN
OBSTRUCTION, HIS DIRECTION TO
HIS FOLKS TO REFUSE TO DELIVER
THOSE DOCUMENTS OR THAT
TESTIMONY THAT IS THE SECOND
ARTICLE OF IMPEACHMENT.
I’LL REMIND YOU PRESIDENT
CLINTON AND PRESIDENT NIXON
DIRECTED THEIR OWN CLOSE
ADVISERS AND CABINET OFFICIALS
TO TESTIFY, TO COOPERATE WITH
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRIES.
IMPEACHMENT INQUIRIES. AND THAT’S A PIECE OF WHAT MAKES
THIS SO UNPRECEDENTED.
I ALSO, RACHEL, JUST HAVE TO
SHARE ONE THING WITH YOU.
I GOT A REMARKABLE THING TODAY
IN THE MAIL.
I GOT THIS LITTLE PACKAGE WITH A
BEAUTIFUL WHITE HOUSE SEAL ON
HEAVY STATIONARY.
HEAVY STATIONARY. IT’S A 7 -- EXCUSE ME ME, I
THINK A 6-PAGE LETTER ON WHITE
HOUSE STATIONARY LETTERHEAD.
IF THIS IS THE PRESIDENT’S
RESPONSE, IF THIS IS HIS
DEFENSE, I’VE GOT TO TELL YOU IT
IS UNHINGED.
IS UNHINGED. IT IS SOMETHING THAT BELONGS NOT
ON WHITE HOUSE STATIONARY AND
LETTERHEAD BUT REALLY ON THE
RAVINGS OF A CONSPIRACY BLOG OR
OR RUSSIAN STATE TELEVISION.
IT IS MEANDDERRING, IT IS
UNFOCUSED.
UNFOCUSED. IT DOESN’T RESPOND TO THE
CHARGES RATHER THAN TO DENOUNCE
THE WHOLE THING AS A HOAX AND AN
ATTACK ON THE CONSTITUTION.
BUT AT THE VERY END OF THIS LONG
AND RAMBLING LETTER THAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS APPARENTLY
SENT TO ALL OF US IN THE SENATE
TODAY, HE REFERENCES THE FACT
HE’S WORRIED ABOUT HISTORY.
AND HE HOPES A HUNDRED YEARS
FROM NOW FUTURE AMERICANS WILL
REVIEW THIS HISTORY AND NOT
REPEAT THE SAME MISTAKE.
THIS IS THE FIRST INKLING WE
HAVE OF WHAT KIND OF A DEFENSE
PRESIDENT TRUMP MIGHT OFFER IN
THE SENATE.
THE SENATE. WE DON’T KNOW WHO WILL REPRESENT
HIM, WHETHER IT’LL BE RUDY
GIULIANI, SOME OF THE HOUSE
FOLKS WHO SPOKE TODAY IN THE
REPUBLICAN CAUCUS OR WHETHER IT
WILL BE A DISCIPLINED AND
SEASONED LEGAL TEAM SUCH AS
REPRESENTATIVE IN HIS DEFENSE IN
THE MUELLER PROBE.
SO I THINK WE’RE IN FOR A BIT OF
A WILD COUPLE OF WEEKS AHEAD,
RACHEL.
RACHEL. I HOPE THAT LEADER McCONNELL AND
SOME OF MY REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES
LOOK TO HISTORY AND LOOK TO THE
RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SENATE.
AND IN PARTICULAR I’M HOPING
THAT THERE ARE A FEW REPUBLICANS
WHO ARE WILLING TO PRESS LEADER
McCONNELL BECAUSE WE’LL END UP
GETTING WHATEVER RULES, 51
REPUBLICANS WILL VOTE FOR.
IF FOUR REPUBLICANS WILL LOOK AT
THEMSELVES AND LOOK AT THEIR
ROLE AND PRESS McCONNELL FOR AN
HONEST AND OPEN AND REAL TRIAL,
THEN I THINK THERE’S A CHANCE WE
WILL GET WHAT HISTORY DESERVES.
IN THE ABSENCE OF THAT, I THINK
WE’LL HAVE A VERY BRIEF
POLITICAL THEATER.
POLITICAL THEATER. AND I THINK IT’LL BE A GRAVE DIS
DISSERVICE TO THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE AND TO GREAT WORK THAT’S
BEEN DONE IN THE HOUSE TO REALLY
DEVELOP THE RECORD HERE AND TO
SEND US A SET OF TWO IMPEACHMENT
ARTICLES TONIGHT THAT ARE VERY
WELL-FOUNDED IN THE EVIDENCE