Daily Nation Newspaper

Trump trial opens with fiery clashes over witnesses

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WASHINGTON - Republican­s and Democrats battled over summoning high-level White House witnesses on Tuesday in a marathon first day of arguments in President Donald Trump’s trial for abuse of power.

The two sides squared off in fiery exchanges that circled around the procedures for the trial and gave the Democrats an opportunit­y to spell out their arguments for Trump’s guilt on national television.

But Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell flexed his own political muscle, mobilising his side’s 53-47 majority in the body to slap down Democratic attempts to amend the trial procedures that he reportedly crafted together with the White House and designed to protect Trump.

After 13 hours, just before 02:00, McConnell was successful in pushing back every Democratic effort, ensuring Republican­s had control over a trial they hope will be wrapped up by the end of the month.

The president meanwhile monitored the challenge to his three-year-old presidency from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerlan­d.

The case is “just a hoax,” he said. “It’s the witch hunt that’s been going on for years and frankly it’s disgracefu­l.”

McConnell’s rules set out a schedule of six days of arguments, three days by the

House impeachmen­t managers and then three days by Trump’s defence team, to be followed by one day of questions from the 100 Senators, who sit as jury in the trial.

Democrats though were angered by McConnell’s refusal to call witnesses and subpoena documents before the trial’s arguments phase is over.

They want to hear from current and former top Trump aides, including White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and former national security advisor John Bolton.

Without any guarantee that witnesses would be called even at that time, they sought in a last-ditch move to give the presiding judge, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, the last word on calling witnesses.

That too was rejected in a stark party- line vote.

“They don’t want a fair trial,” said Adam Schiff, the leader of the House impeachmen­t managers prosecutin­g the case.

“They don’t want you to hear these witnesses... they don’t want a neutral justice to weigh in.”

But Schiff’s team took advantage of the opportunit­y to seek amendments to occupy the television cameras for most of the hearing and lay out their case against the US leader.

 ??  ?? President Donald Trump
President Donald Trump

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