WASHINGTON (CN) – After an unexpected display of dissension in their midst, Senate Republicans closed ranks around their leader’s roadmap for President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial Tuesday, adopting a resolution making the introduction of new evidence unlikely by a party-line vote.
For a few hours, the widely predicted outcome seemed inevitable: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell put forth a resolution that cast doubt on whether the trial would even feature evidence gathered by the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives and set the stage for hearings to stretch past midnight.
But Senate Republicans quickly retreated from both demands before putting their unanimous stamp on other restrictive trial procedures, which McConnell touted as a model of fairness.
“Can we put fairness, evenhandedness ahead of the partisan passion of today?” McConnell asked in his opening remarks. “The resolution puts forward the support of the majority of the Senate because it sets up a structure that is fair, evenhanded and tracks closely with past precedents established unanimously.”
Scoffing at that assertion, Democrats argued throughout the 13-hour day that the McConnell resolution does not envision a trial at all, let alone a fair one.
“It's a mockery of a trial,” House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, the lead impeachment manager for the Democrats, declared.
“This is not an appeal from a trial,” the California congressman continued, addressing the senators. "You are not appellate court judges.”
Schiff then turned to Chief Justice Roberts behind him before quipping: "Well, one of you is."
The newly-adopted rules force a vote on whether any witnesses will be called at trial or new evidence would be gathered.
Calling it telling that Trump’s allies want members of his administration to testify, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer offered a sly allusion to the journalistic classic of the Nixon era: “All the President’s Men.”
“If the president’s case is so weak and none of the president’s men can defend him under oath, shame on him and those that allow it to happen,” the New York Democrat intoned from the floor as the trial began Tuesday.
In a makeshift press conference outside the Senate chamber, Schumer told reporters that McConnell’s changes provided some hope that Democrats will have room to operate.
"In other words, this idea that Mitch McConnell, whatever he does, every one of them will go along with doesn't seem to be happening on two important issues," said Schumer, who began his opening remarks by citing the Senate’s unprecedented restrictions on press access.
Indiana Republican Mike Braun told reporters amendments to McConnell’s original resolution happened during a lunch break since most lawmakers didn’t have time to review the resolution in full.
Once they did though, Braun said they thought it was prudent that submitting evidence from the House proceedings would be a good thing. The initial discussions took place when McConnell was absent, but the message was relayed by another senator.