The first full day of Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial adjourned at 1:50 a.m. Wednesday after 13 hours of intense debates.
In December, House Democrats voted to impeach President Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of justice. Now it’s the Senate’s turn to either vote to remove Trump from office or acquit him of all charges.
The Senate passed Mitch McConnell’s impeachment trial rules after heated debates on the Senate floor.
McConnell’s rules gives each side 24 hours to argue their cases. Then the Senate will quickly vote to either convict or acquit the President of the United States.
The trial is expected to end next week without calling any witnesses.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (left) slammed the rules set by Senate Majority Leader McConnell (right), which she claims are a cover-up attempt by President Trump.
Pelosi criticized McConnell’s rules as a “dark of night impeachment trial,” claiming that he has “misled the American people.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Pelosi said: “Leader McConnell’s process is deliberately designed to hide the truth from the Senate and from the American people.”
All 11 of the amendments introduced by the Democrats on the Senate floor were shot down by Republicans on Tuesday.
The Democrats wanted to subpoena key witnesses who have insider knowledge of the phone call between President Trump and the Ukrainian president last year.
One of the amendments introduced by the Democrats sparked a heated exchange between House Judiciary Committee chief Jerry Nadler and Trump’s high-powered legal team.
Nadler accused Trump’s lawyers of attempting a cover-up by blocking key witnesses, including Ambassador John Bolton, NBC News reported.
“Will you bring Ambassador Bolton here?” Nadler asked. “Will you permit us to present you with the entire record of the president’s misconduct? Or will you instead choose to be complicit in the president’s cover-up?”
Nadler further accused “a lot of senators” of “voting for a cover-up… a treacherous vote.”
Nadler said Senate Republicans were traitors who should be embarrassed.
His accusations irked Trump’s lead attorney Pat Cippolone, who clapped back, saying it’s Nadler who should be embarrassed.
“The only one who should be embarrassed, Mr. Nadler, is you for the way you’ve addressed [the Senators]. This is the United States Senate. You’re not in charge here!”
The heated exchange earned a rebuke from Chief Supreme Court Justice John Roberts, who reminded both parties that they are “addressing the world’s greatest deliberative body.”
Roberts added: “I do think those addressing the Senate should remember where they are!”
The Senate impeachment trial will resume at 1 p.m. Wednesday with opening arguments from House Democrats.
