Trump Defiant as Impeachment Trial Begins: 'Read the Transcripts!'
President Donald Trump was defiant on Tuesday as the Senate impeachment trial began with opening arguments by his attorneys and the Democratic House impeachment managers.
“READ THE TRANSCRIPTS!” Trump tweeted from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
READ THE TRANSCRIPTS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 21, 2020
Talking to the media earlier in the day, the president described the impeachment proceedings as a “hoax.”
“That whole thing is a hoax,” he said. “It goes nowhere because nothing happened. The only thing we’ve done is a great job.”
White House counsel Pat Cipollone strongly defended Trump during his opening argument before the Senate, directing some of his harshest criticism at House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, who is the House’s lead impeachment manager.
“[Schiff] went to the House and he manufactured a fraudulent version of that call… He read it to the American people and he didn’t tell them it was a complete fake.” -Pat Cipollonepic.twitter.com/rjp2dFc2PF
— GOP (@GOP) January 21, 2020
“Let’s remember how we all got here,” Cipollone said. “They made false allegations about a telephone call. The president of the United States declassified that telephone call and released it to the public.”
Turning toward Schiff and his fellow Democratic impeachment managers, Cipollone asked, “How’s that for transparency?”
The White House attorney argued that after the release of the transcript of Trump’s July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (which showed Democratic allegations about a quid pro quo demand to be false), Schiff then turned around and made false claims about an earlier call Trump had had with Zelensky.
“So the president of the United States declassified and released that telephone call. Still nothing,” Cipollone said.
“I’m unfamiliar with any president of the United States releasing a classified telephone call with a foreign leader.”
Cipollone then said that when Schiff knew both of his claims were false, the congressman “manufactured a fraudulent version that call” during a House Intelligence Committee hearing in late September.
“He read it to the American people,” Cipollone said. “And he didn’t tell them it was a complete fake.”
In his opening argument on Tuesday, Schiff called for the testimony of former National Security Advisor John Bolton and acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney.
“Let’s get this trial started, shall we? We are ready to present our case. We are ready to call our witnesses. The question is, will you let us?” Schiff said.
“We are ready…The House calls John Bolton. The House calls Mick Mulvaney. Let’s get this trial started, shall we? We are ready to present our case. We are ready to call our witnesses. The question is, will you let us?” – @RepAdamSchiff pic.twitter.com/dcvaQVdgMZ
— Karine Jean-Pierre (@K_JeanPierre) January 21, 2020
Cipollone responded to the Democrats’ demand for more witnesses after they claimed to have “overwhelming evidence” of Trump’s wrongdoing by charging that Schiff and his team are “afraid to make their case.”
He argued if he showed up in any court saying his case is overwhelming and then told the judge he needed more evidence to try to make it, he would get thrown out.
“That’s exactly what should happen here,” Cipollone said.
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