After Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) unveiled his proposed rules governing the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, Democrats decried the resolution as one that would hide information from the American public.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) — one of the impeachment managers — said the House should decide how long lawmakers have to argue the case for impeachment — not the Senate.
“That will be a decision that the House should make, not that the senators should prescribe to go late into the evening.”
Watch his comments below:
Just asked Schiff if they actually need 24 hours to make case or if they'll go through night, and he said: "That will be a decision that the house should make, not that the senators should prescribe to go late into the evening. Look there is a wealth of evidence to present here" pic.twitter.com/gmD3a6IWJT
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 21, 2020
“We should have the opportunity to present the case as the House chooses to present its case. Not to go late into the evening when Senator McConnell evidently hopes the public may not be watching. And so we’ll make decisions about how long our case should go within the rules that are prescribed.”
“What is Senator McConnell’s interest in structuring the trial this way?” Schiff asked, adding, “Is this about hiding the evidence from the American people with late-night sessions. Is this about just trying to get it over with? Because that should not be the motivation here.”
McConnell unveiled his proposed rules for the trial on Monday night, which Democrats decried as a “national disgrace.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) blasted the proposed rules and accused McConnell of trying to speed through the trial, as IJR has previously reported.
His proposal would give both sides two days to argue the case for or against impeachment and then answer questions from senators.
After McConnell unveiled his proposal, the impeachment managers released a letter urging senators to vote against the resolution.
“There should be a fair trial — fair to the President, yes, but equally important, fair to the American people. Any Senator who wants the same should reject the McConnell Resolution,” the letter read.
The Senate is expected to vote on McConnell’s resolution on Tuesday. Schumer said he would force a series of votes regarding the calling of new witnesses and documents because, as he said, “There is no guarantee that Leader McConnell will allow these votes to take place later in the trial.”