While only a handful of Republicans waffle on the fence about whether to jump all in with President Donald Trump’s brazen corruption, some — like Texas’s Senator John Cornyn — apparently have far fewer reservations. On Friday, as Trump’s Senate impeachment trial seemed like it was gearing up to conclude, he took to Twitter with a misleading (at the very best) denunciation of calls for witnesses in that trial before it ends, a push that’s attracted the support of just a couple of Republicans and counting. (Four were needed to secure the necessary majority.)
Cornyn claimed that it’s simply irrelevant whether or not witnesses were heard from in the trial itself at all. Since witness testimony was gathered in the House and included as part of the record for those participating in the Senate trial, he claimed that’s enough and supposedly, witnesses got their chance. But that completely steamrolls over the basic fairness precedent of letting witnesses in the actual trial so that prosecutors (in this case the House impeachment case managers) can make their case.
Cornyn tweeted:
‘All of the sworn testimony from House impeachment inquiry from 17 witnesses, as well as the documents received, was available and used in the #ImpeachmentTrial by both the House and POTUS. It is simply false to claim that there were no witnesses. Indeed, House managers claim that the evidence supporting conviction is “overwhelming” directly contradicts their claim about “no witnesses.” Both can’t be true. No wonder the American people are wary of anti-Trump animus and media bias.’
No witnesses? One of the most powerful messages coming out of this #ImpeachmentTrial is the media disinterest in reporting facts and determination to perpetuate a false narrative spun by the House managers.
— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) January 31, 2020
Indeed, House managers claim that the evidence supporting conviction is "overwhelming" directly contradicts their claim about "no witnesses." Both can't be true. No wonder the American people are wary of anti-Trump animus and media bias.
— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) January 31, 2020
What a ridiculously bad faith argument. Evidence doesn’t have to only come from witnesses. And the point isn’t whether witnesses were heard at some time at some place on planet earth. The point is whether they were heard as part of the impeachment trial itself or — as seems to be unfolding this Friday — Senators blocked impeachment case managers from even having a chance to fairly make their case.
Despite previous suggestions that four Republican Senators might band together to secure witnesses for the trial, the eyed fourth vote — Tennessee’s Lamar Alexander — announced on Thursday that he’d oppose witnesses.
Check out Twitter’s response to Cornyn…
