Perhaps the most significant happening during the Dem impeachment managers’ presentations was Cong. Jerry Nadler admonishing Senators.
During the initial session on Tuesday night / Wednesday morning, Nadler said:
“I see a lot of senators voting for a cover-up, voting to deny witnesses, an absolutely indefensible vote, obviously a treacherous vote. A subversion of the Constitution, a vote against the United States.”
Obviously it was an attempt to shame (or bully) senators into crossing party lines and voting with the Dems.
But, the antic badly backfired…
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Nadler’s sharp comments drew an immediate rebuke from Chief Justice Roberts:
“I think it appropriate at this point for me to admonish both the House managers and the president’s counsel in equal terms to remember that they are addressing the world’s greatest deliberative body.”
Coming from a Chief Justice, those are historically stern words.
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GOP senators generally took offense at being tagged as “treacherers”.
Most important was the reaction of “venerable” GOP senators.
Sen. Susan Collins was reportedly “stunned” by Nadler’s remarks — so much so that she wrote a note to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts reminding him of senate rules for decorum and civility.
Similarly, Sen. Lisa Murkowski remarked “As one who is listening intently and working hard to get to a fair process, I was offended”.
Even Mitt Romney, remarked that he was insulted by the inappropriate remarks.
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Summing up …
Sen. Josh Hawley characterized his Republican colleagues as alienated by Nadler’s remarks:
“If the goal was to persuade, they took a huge step backward last night.”
Ditto for outspoken Sen. Rand Paul:
I think as they come over to the Senate side, and they call us liars and cheats and say we’re doing a coverup, and the Senate is on trial … all it does is serve to unify Republicans.
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My take: All else in the Dems’ talkathon was the human equivalent of refrigerator noise.
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