Republicans had a really bad day on Capitol Hill Thursday during yet another installment of the Senate impeachment trial thanks to Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
Although they did not exactly team up, each of them embarrassed Republicans in their own way on Thursday.
Trump’s legal team has argued that House Democrats should have pursued subpoenas in court rather than charge Trump with obstructing Congress in the second article of impeachment, all while Trump has challenged such subpoenas in court arguing that the courts can’t force him to comply with subpoenas. Well, a lawyer in Trump’s own Justice Department pointed out in a court of law that impeachment is another remedy to enforce subpoena power.
Schiff regaled the torpedoing of Trump’s legal defense argument to the full Senate, drawing laughter from his audience as Republicans could only cringe in their own humiliation.
“Today, while we’ve been debating whether a president can be impeached for essentially bogus claims of privilege, for attempting to use the courts to cover up misconduct, the Justice Department in resisting subpoenas is in court today … because, as we know, they’re in here arguing Congress must go to court to enforce its subpoenas, but they’re in the court saying ‘Congress, thou shalt not do that,’” Schiff said. “So the judge says: ‘If the Congress can’t enforce its subpoenas in court, then what remedy is there?’ And the Justice Department lawyer’s response is ‘Impeachment! Impeachment!’”
“You can’t make it up!” Schiff continued. “What more evidence do we need of the bad faith of this effort to cover up?”
Here’s the hilarious video via Twitter:
SCHIFF: “While we’ve been debating whether POTUS can be impeached for bogus claims of privilege, the DOJ is resisting subpoenas in court today… the judge says ‘if Congress can’t enforce its subpoenas, what remedy is there,’ & DOJ’s response is impeachment! You can’t make it up” pic.twitter.com/Tim1HHDgBO
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 30, 2020
Warren, meanwhile, took aim at Chief Justice John Roberts, who is presiding over the impeachment trial.
Thus far, Roberts has presided over a trial in which he has allowed Republicans to refuse to call witnesses or enter new evidence into the record, as well as violate their oaths to be impartial jurors. So, Warren forced Roberts to read a question that has implications for his own legacy.
“At a time when large majorities of Americans have lost faith in the government does the fact that the Chief Justice is presiding over an impeachment trial in which Republican senators thus far have refused to allow witnesses or evidence contribute to the loss of legitimacy of the Chief Justice, the Supreme Court, and the Constitution?” Roberts read, only to look like someone just punched him right in the gut.
Here’s the video via YouTube:
Again, this is yet another disastrous day for Republicans, both in the Senate and on the Supreme Court. As this trial continues Roberts now has to look at himself in the mirror every morning and think about that question while Republican senators can no longer call the obstruction of Congress charge illegitimate.
Warren and Schiff served their country in defense of the Constitution very well today.
Featured Image: YouTube screenshot