Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday night that the Senate could ‘relitigate’ the brouhaha between Senator Mike Lee and the impeachment managers after Lee objected to the managers’ characterization of a report about a phone call from former President Donald Trump to Lee’s phone during the Capitol riot.
After making their argument in the past two days that Trump should be convicted of instigating an uprising in the Capitol, the House impeachment managers will continue their case Thursday. It can take up to eight hours, starting at noon, but it’s unclear if they’ll use all their allotted time.
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The managers are expected to continue to claim that Trump had planted the seeds of the attack on the Capitol for months, saying he could not have lost the presidential election unless there was voter fraud; not condemn the violence of his supporters; inviting a mass of his supporters to Washington, DC, on January 6; tell them to go to the Capitol; and not making efforts to stop the crowd once the riot started.
Trump’s defense could technically start making their arguments on Thursday if the House managers end their opening statements early, but they are more likely to start on Friday. Trump’s defense team alleges that he was within his First Amendment rights in making his allegations about the election and that he cannot be held responsible for the actions of the criminals who stormed the Capitol. They also say the impeachment managers are taking Trump’s comments out of context.
Jenny Louise Cudd at the Capitol on Jan. 6. The trial of former President Donald Trump for alleged instigation of the attack on the Capitol continues Thursday.
(Criminal charge.)
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The impeachment managers tried to prevent some of Trump’s expected defenses early in the process, while also maintaining a solemn tone, playing gruesome videos of rioters attacking Capitol Police, seeking out lawmakers and their staff, and calling for the death of former vice President Mike Pence among others. They mainly relied on Capitol security footage showing the number of close phone calls from lawmakers where they could be carried away by the crowd and possibly injured or killed.
“It is clearly very disturbing to see the great violence our Capitol Police and others are subjected to,” said Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, when asked about a video featuring Agent Eugene Goodman, hailed as a hero for his actions. in the riot, the senator to safety. “It tears your heart and brings tears to your eyes, which was overwhelmingly poignant and emotional.”
But the solemn tone was broken on Wednesday during an argument between Lee, R-Utah, and the impeachment managers – and it could escalate Thursday as the impeachment managers try to “ reaffirm the point, ” as Schumer, DN.Y., said. to happen .
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As chief impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., Prepared to conclude the House’s arguments for the day, Lee sought recognition and said the impeachment managers had falsely described what happened when Trump called his phone on Jan. . 6. He asked that Rep. David Cicilline, DR.I., is removed from the police report.
Senator Mike Lee, R-Utah, got into a fight with House impeachment managers on Wednesday during a call former President Trump made to his phone Jan. 6.
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Statements have recently been attributed to me by the impeachment managers of the House … regarding the content of conversations between … President Trump and Senator Tuberville. They were not made by me. They are not accurate and they conflict with fact, ”said Lee.
“I’m moving … they’re getting dropped from the record,” Lee continued.
Senate Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Who is chairing the impeachment process, said Lee’s motion was not covered by the rules. Lee then appealed the ruling and requested a roll-call vote.
But Leahy’s statement as to what the rule was was not clear and led to minutes of talks on exactly what the Senate would vote on. Schumer put the Senate in a quorum call “while we work this out.”
It seems that what Lee objected to was related to a phone call allegedly made by Trump to Lee’s phone during the Capitol riot. The call was actually for Senator Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., And Lee handed his phone over to Tuberville so he could talk to Trump.
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Cicillin alleged that Lee said the content of the call was that Trump asked Tuberville to further delay certification of the election results. But Lee claimed he’d never said anything like it.
On this July 14, 2020 file photo, Republican United States Senate nominee and former Auburn soccer coach Tommy Tuberville speaks at a campaign event in Montgomery, Ala. (AP Photo / Butch Dill, File)
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The story in Utah-based Deseret News of Jan. 7 that brought up the news of the Trump call to Lee, which was intended for Tuberville, quotes Lee as he explained that the call took place. But it does not reveal the substance of the call between Trump and Tuberville. A CNN story published the next day claims Trump tried to convince Tuberville to raise further objections from the Electoral College, but does not quote that information to Lee or Tuberville.
However, Trump’s attorney, Rudy Giuliani, in particular, also left a voicemail with Lee during the riot explicitly asking Tuberville to defer certification of the election results. The recording of that voicemail has been widely reported, but there is no such account of the conversation between Tuberville and Trump.
Tonight, House impeachment managers made false statements misinterpreting Senator Lee’s account of a phone conversation between President Trump and Senator Tuberville, a Lee spokesman said Wednesday. Senator Lee objected, asking if the false statements would be removed from the file. The house managers agreed to withdraw those statements.
Fox News has contacted a Tuberville spokesperson to request that the senator clarify the substance of the appeal with Trump.
After a few minutes, the senators came to an agreement allowing them to end that night’s hearing. Lee withdrew his request to appeal Leahy’s ruling, and Schumer withdrew his quorum call and asked Raskin to make a statement.
In this image from the video, House impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., Speaks during the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, Wednesday, February 10, 2021.
(Senate Television via AP)
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“The impeachment manager, Mr. Cicilline, has correctly and accurately quoted a newspaper report that the senior senator has objected to. So we would like to withdraw it because it is not true and we will withdraw it without a doubt tonight. resubmit it, and then we can discuss it if we need it, ”Raskin said.
He added that it is “much ado about nothing” because the specific comment is “not critical” of the matter.
“It’s not true,” Lee said in the background as Raskin went through his explanation. “You’re not the one mentioned as a witness here,” he said.
“If we have to, we can ratify it again tomorrow,” said Schumer, before stopping the senate proceedings for tonight.
Fox News’ Chad Pergram, Jason Donner and Marisa Schultz contributed to this report.