The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Blumenthal, Murphy submit questions in impeachment trial
WASHINGTON — Shortly after 5 p.m., U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal rose with a question.
His question announced during the Senate impeachment trial pressed the president’s lawyers about former National Security Adviser John Bolton and his book manuscript, which reportedly confirms that Trump withheld military aid to Ukraine to obtain investigations that would help him in the 2020 election.
“Did anyone in the White House or outside the White House tell anyone in the White House counsel’s office that publication of the Bolton book would be politically problematic for the president?” Blumenthal, D-Conn., asked.
Deputy White House Counsel Patrick F. Philbin had a short reply: “No one told us anything like that.”
For hours Wednesday, senators questioned the House impeachment managers and the president’s lawyers on points of their cases, their first chance to actively participate in the Senate trial in days.
Senators submitted questions singly and in groups, handwritten on pieces of paper, to Chief Justice John Roberts. The questions were directed at either the prosecution or the defense.
Blumenthal, D-Conn., cosigned multiple questions. One was raised by Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.
"Would the House managers care to correct the record on any falsehoods or mischaracterizations in the White House's opening arguments?"she asked.
Roberts read the questions aloud one at a time to the Senate. Then, the prosecution or the defense responded for five minutes. This process repeated for hours Wednesday afternoon. The Senate will hear questions for eight hours Wednesday and eight hours Thursday.
Blumenthal, with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and other senators, also asked House managers if senators should apply a “missing witness rule,” common to court proceedings, that directs juries to draw adverse inferences from witnesses who are blocked from testifying.
“Do the House managers believe senators should apply the missing witnesses rule here and if so what adverse inference should we draw from the missing witnesses and documents?” they asked.
U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, RCalif., said indeed senators should conclude the White House holds more information that would support their articles of impeachment. Philbin asserted this adverse inference rule may not apply when Trump asserts executive privilege over information.
Murphy described on Facebook Wednesday morning what questions he’d like to pose.
“I’d love to hear a response from the House managers about this claim from the president’s team that abuse of power is not an impeachable offense,” Murphy said. “I’d like to hear what they feel are the dangers to the Republic if the only impeachable offense are crimes, are statutory crimes. Second, I’m interested to know a little more from the House managers about the danger of allowing outside political advisers like [the president’s personal lawyer] Rudy Giuliani to be intimately involved in foreign policy. I think the House managers can do a little bit more work to explain what real serious ramifications that has for national security if the president can just use his campaign operatives to try to do foreign policy abroad.”
Murphy also said he wants to explore whether some of the president’s statements prove he was engaged in a quid pro quo. He noted senators may learn more about that if Bolton testifies to the Senate. The Senate will vote on new witnesses on Friday.
Blumenthal said in an interview he will also ask about whether President Donald Trump’s actions could constitute criminal offenses, specifically bribery. Blumenthal wrote an op-ed saying he thinks Trump has committed bribery in December.