Category: trial

Trump ‘Not Happy’ With His Legal Team’s First Appearance In Impeachment Trial

Posted on by John Hanson

According to a number of reports on Tuesday, former President Donald Trump was very displeased with his legal team’s performance on the first day of his Senate impeachment trial.

Many members of Congress and pundits also criticized the Trump defense team’s showing, and particularly that of Bruce Castor.

Castor had once briefly served as Pennsylvania’s Attorney General, and was the District Attorney for Montgomery County.

RELATED: PBS’ Yamiche Alcindor Defends Democrat Double Standard On Impeachment – ‘Wasn’t Storming Of The Capitol’ After Maxine Waters’ Speech

Source: ‘President Trump Was Not Happy’

For about 45 minutes, Castor delivered a rambling opening speech and seemed to have a difficult time making many salient points to this case.

Sources close to Trump’s defense team reportedly told both Politico and CNN that Trump was “not happy” with how he was being represented by his lawyers.

One source reportedly told Politico, “President Trump was not happy with the performance of his legal team in action.”

In the weeks leading up to the impeachment trial, Trump’s legal team had a rough few weeks. 

The former president’s previous team quit abruptly just three weeks before the trial reportedly because Trump insisted they make the argument that the election was stolen from him by the Democrats.

Dershowitz On Castor: ‘I Have No Idea What He Is Doing’

After that controversy, Castor and attorney David Schoen came in as Trump’s primary legal representatives.

The two lawyers had little more than two weeks to prepare for the trial.

Neither Schoen nor Castor have reportedly agreed to make the case that the 2020 election was stolen from their client.

Trump’s lawyer for his first impeachment trial, Alan Dershowitz, said Trump’s legal team’s performance on Tuesday was not good. 

Dershowitz said of Castor, “I have no idea what he is doing.”

Perhaps the most surprising comment from Castor, which many on the left were quick to pounce on, was his assertion that Trump lost the election fair and square – a big departure from Trump’s claim that the election was stolen: 

RELATED: Lindsey Graham Rips Impeachment – ‘We’re Doing A Lot Of Damage To The Country Because People Hate Trump’

Republican Sen. John Cornyn Was Not Impressed

“The American people are entitled to an argument,” Dershowitz told Newsmax. “But this, just, after all kinds of very strong presentations on the part of the House managers… it does not appear to me to be effective advocacy.”

Dershowitz wasn’t the only one unimpressed. One prominent member of Trump’s own party was not the least bit impressed with what he saw from Team Trump on Tuesday.

Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn reportedly said, “I’ve seen a lot of lawyers and a lot of arguments and that was, that was not one of the finest I’ve seen.” 

Another Republican, perhaps the biggest surprise among the GOP Senators who voted that the trial for a former president was constitutional, was Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. 

Speaking of the proceedings, Cassidy said, “Trump’s team was disorganized, they did everything they could but to talk about the question at hand. And when they talked about it, they kind of glided over it, almost as if they were embarrassed of their arguments.”

“Now if I’m an impartial juror and one side is doing a great job and the other side is doing a terrible job on the issue at hand, as an impartial juror, I’m going to vote for the side that did the good job,” he said.

The post Trump ‘Not Happy’ With His Legal Team’s First Appearance In Impeachment Trial appeared first on The Political Insider.

Lindsey Graham Rips Impeachment – ‘We’re Doing A Lot Of Damage To The Country Because People Hate Trump’

Posted on by LifeZette

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) spoke out on Monday night to rip into Democrats for their impeachment effort against former President Donald Trump.

Graham Rips Democrats Over Impeachment

While appearing on “Hannity” on Fox News, Graham complained about having to participate in the impeachment trial at all.

“I got to listen to this crap,” Graham said. “So, I hope by Sunday or Monday, the trial will be over. Here’s what I can tell you — if the House managers want to call one witness, the defense is going to call all the people you named and then some.”

“To my colleagues tomorrow, there are a hundred of us, what we do today is going to make history of the time America exists,” he added. “What Democrats have done is basically declared war on the presidency itself. The impeachment in House took place without a hearing, without one witness being called, and without a lawyer for the president of the United States.”

“You can’t get a traffic ticket based on the producers they used to impeach President Trump,” Graham continued. “And we’re also impeaching a man who’s out of office. When you combine a snap impeachment with an impeachment of a president who’s out of office, you’re going to destroy the presidency itself.”

“I know you hate Trump but please, pull back before we set in motion this destruction of the presidency by never-ending impeachments based on lack of due process and political retribution as the motive,” he said.

Related: Lindsey Graham Teaming With Dick Durbin To Introduce Legislation That Could Grant Citizenship To DREAMers

Graham Doubles Down

Not stopping there, Graham went on to argue that in impeaching a former president, the Democrat-controlled Congress was creating a new precedent.

“I think you’ll see statements by politicians that are more insightful than what President Trump said,” he predicted. “But when the Founders created impeachment for the president, it was different than for judges and anybody else. It requires that the chief justice of the United States to preside over presidential impeachments. Why? Because you don’t want a juror preceding over the impeachment of a presidential officeholder.”

“So the idea that the president is treated differently under the Constitution makes perfect sense,” Graham said. “They never envisioned going after the president once he’s out of office because the purpose for impeachment is to remove the person, not bar them from running in the future.”

“So, the whole point of impeachment is lost when the person is no longer in office,” Graham continued. “They didn’t go after Nixon when he resigned for a reason. So to my colleagues here, you’re about to set in motion a historical precedent that will put at risk every future president.”

“You could be impeached in the future based on hatred, 50 hours no witness, no hearing, no lawyer,” he concluded. “You can be impeached after you leave office. George Washington, under this theory, can be impeached for owning slaves. We’re doing a lot of damage to the country because people hate Trump. Knock it off.”

Related: Lindsey Graham Agrees With Obama That AOC Should Be Given Bigger Role In Democratic Party

This piece was written by James Samson on February 9, 2021. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

Read more at LifeZette:
Maxine Waters Confronted By MSNBC About Encouraging Violence Against Republicans
Bill Maher Claims Christianity Is To Blame For Capitol Riot
Liz Cheney Says There’s Major Criminal Probe Into Whether Trump Made ‘Premeditated Effort To Promote Violence’

The post Lindsey Graham Rips Impeachment – ‘We’re Doing A Lot Of Damage To The Country Because People Hate Trump’ appeared first on The Political Insider.

Jim Jordan Claims Democrats Are ‘Scared’ Of Trump

Posted on by LifeZette

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) penned an op-ed for Fox News on Tuesday that accused Democrats of having an “obsession” with impeaching Donald Trump because “they’re scared of him.”

Jordan Attacks Democrats 

Jordan wrote in the op-ed that Democrats are hoping that this impeachment trial will lead to so much disdain for Trump that he will never run for office again.

“It’s been almost a month since he left office, but Democrats still can’t let go of President Donald Trump,” Jordan wrote. “That’s why, as our country faces many urgent challenges, the Senate will set aside its real work this week and instead focus on yet another political impeachment charade.”

Jordan added that while the Capitol riots should not have happened last month, they were not a concern for Democrats because while Republicans have condemned violence in the past, “Democrats have not, and now they are casting political blame for what happened at the Capitol.”

Related: Jim Jordan Calls Out Dems’ ‘Double Standards’ – They ‘Objected To More States In 2017 Than Republicans Did Last Week’

“President Trump did not incite the violence of Jan. 6,” Jordan said. “News reports suggest the FBI knew in advance that violence would occur. The U.S. Capitol Police also reportedly understood that there was a ‘strong potential for violence’ that day.”

“Pipe bombs had been placed before President Trump’s speech,” he continued. “So how can Democrats accuse President Trump of inciting violence when the violent acts had been planned in advance?”

Jordan Blasts House For Impeaching Trump

Jordan lamented the fact that in the House, there was no due process for Trump, “there was no process whatsoever.” He added that the Senate is now preparing to conduct an unconstitutional “impeachment trial” of a man no longer president.

“Last week, Democrats threatened President Trump that if he declined to testify during the Democrats’ impeachment charade, they would use it as proof of his guilt,” he wrote. “That may be how trials work in socialist countries. But that’s not how it works in America.”

“Democrats are going to these lengths because they are obsessed with canceling President Trump,” Jordan continued. “They’re scared of him. They know he works [for] the American people, and not the Washington Swamp. Unlike most politicians, President Trump did what he said he’d do. Hopefully, one day, he’ll get to do it again.”

Read Next: Rep. Jim Jordan Says Trump Should Not Concede: ‘Instinctively Everyone Knows’ The Election Is Flawed

This piece was written by James Samson on February 9, 2021. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

Read more at LifeZette:
Maxine Waters Confronted By MSNBC About Encouraging Violence Against Republicans
Bill Maher Claims Christianity Is To Blame For Capitol Riot
Liz Cheney Says There’s Major Criminal Probe Into Whether Trump Made ‘Premeditated Effort To Promote Violence’

The post Jim Jordan Claims Democrats Are ‘Scared’ Of Trump appeared first on The Political Insider.

Report: Democrats Have A Back-Up Plan That Might Still Bar Trump From Running Again If Impeachment Fails

Posted on by Rusty Weiss

Congressional Democrats are reportedly considering a back-up plan – a censure resolution against Donald Trump should this week’s impeachment trial result in acquittal for the former President.

The resolution, according to McClatchy, would bar Trump “from holding future office over his role in the U.S. Capitol riot.”

The Senate impeachment trial began on Tuesday with opening statements and debate between House impeachment managers and the former President’s defense lawyers.

Trump’s lawyers argue that the House impeachment charge is unconstitutional and are calling on the Senate to acquit the former President.

His acquittal seems all but assured with 45 Republican Senators having already voted on a point of order that the trial is unconstitutional.

RELATED: Trump Lawyer’s Demand Senate Impeachment Trial Be Dismissed, Top Dem Admits ‘Not Crazy To Argue’ It’s Unconstitutional

Democrats Have Back-Up Impeachment Plan – Censure Trump

The Democrat attempt to censure Donald Trump – who is now a private citizen – would invoke Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.

It is a rarely cited Civil War-era provision that bars people from holding office if they “have engaged in insurrection or rebellion” or “given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.”

Pushing forward with the plan seems to be a foregone conclusion, as McClatchy notes “the debate among members of Congress is now whether to push for the resolution early this week — as the impeachment trial is first starting — or towards the end.”

Some Democrat lawmakers are hoping the trial itself will “build public support and political momentum” for the censure resolution.

“The reception has been lukewarm so far from Democrats, who would prefer to see the former president convicted in the impeachment trial, and from Republicans, who fear political consequences in barring Trump from office,” McClatchy observes.

Senator Tim Kaine adds, “Right now there’s not enough support on either side.”

If the Senate acquits Trump, however, bitter Democrats could conceivably coalesce behind such a censure resolution and they wouldn’t need any help from the Republicans.

A resolution to censure Trump would require a simple majority vote to pass in the House and Senate.

RELATED: Squad’s Ayanna Pressley: Capitol Riots Gave Me ‘Deep And Ancestral’ Terror From ‘White Supremacist Mob’

It Could Backfire

The report indicates that Democrats may be playing with fire if they plan to censure Trump following the Senate impeachment trial.

“Some Democratic lawyers warn the strategy could backfire if taken to court and provide Trump with a rallying cry to run again for president in 2024,” it reads.

Legal scholar Jonathan Turley has argued that censuring Trump is a “dangerous” tactic for the nation.

Barring the former President from running again in the future based on a rarely cited provision of the 14th Amendment, without a trial and supermajority vote could open up the floodgates for party’s in power to keep their political opponents out of office.

“The party in control could bar dozens of its opponents from running for federal office,” Turley explains. “Some Democrats are now demanding such action against Republicans who challenged the election of Joe Biden.”

Indeed, how often have we heard Democrats demand Senators Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz be expelled from Congress?

“This is common in authoritarian countries such as Iran, where leaders often bar their opponents from office,” Turley adds.

The post Report: Democrats Have A Back-Up Plan That Might Still Bar Trump From Running Again If Impeachment Fails appeared first on The Political Insider.

Trump Lawyer’s Demand Senate Impeachment Trial Be Dismissed, As Top Democrat Admits It’s Not Crazy To Argue It Is Unconstitutional

Posted on by Rusty Weiss

On the eve of Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, lawyers for the former President are demanding a dismissal, while a top Democrat admits the process could reasonably be argued as unconstitutional.

A memorandum filed by Trump’s legal team Monday calls for an “immediate dismissal” of what they define as Democrat “political theater.”

“The Article of Impeachment presented by the House is unconstitutional for a variety of reasons, any of which alone would be grounds for immediate dismissal,” they write.

“Taken together, they demonstrate conclusively that indulging House Democrats’ hunger for this political theater is a danger to our Republic[an] democracy and the rights that we hold dear.”

RELATED: CNN’s Jake Tapper Called Out For Claiming Republicans Must Stop ‘Insane Lies’ That Have Led To ‘MAGA Terrorism’

The Impeachment of a Former President IS Unconstitutional

Meanwhile, Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), during an interview with Fox News anchor Chris Wallace, admitted it is not “ridiculous” for his GOP colleagues to argue the impeachment is unconstitutional.

“I will admit that this is, of course, a matter of first impression. And so I don’t think the case that Senator Paul is making here is a ridiculous one,” Murphy said.

Senator Rand Paul forced a procedure two weeks ago that prompted 45 Republicans to vote that the impeachment trial is unconstitutional.

In an op-ed column, Paul (R-KY) also referred to the impeachment process against the former President as a “farce” and said it should be dismissed.

“The Constitution says two things about impeachment — it is a tool to remove the officeholder, and it must be presided over by the chief justice of the Supreme Court,” he wrote.

Neither of those criteria has been met by the House impeachment effort.

RELATED: Dead On Arrival: 45 Republicans – Including McConnell – Vote That Trump’s Impeachment Trial Is Unconstitutional

Murphy Disagrees

While he does argue that Republicans could make a viable case, Senator Murphy disagrees that the impeachment is unconstitutional.

“I come to a different judgment … I think we have this responsibility,” he countered. “But I – listen, I admit that Senator Paul’s case is, you know, not from outer space.”

Paul, however, claims even Supreme Court Justice John Roberts recognized the impeachment trial as being troublesome.

“Justice Roberts said heck no, I’m not coming across the street because you’re not impeaching the president,” Paul said.

“This was a strong signal to all of us that this was going to be a partisan hearing with a Democrat in the chair, who’s already voted for impeachment.”

Paul went on to echo the sentiments of Trump’s lawyers regarding the impeachment trial, calling it a “partisan farce.”

The post Trump Lawyer’s Demand Senate Impeachment Trial Be Dismissed, As Top Democrat Admits It’s Not Crazy To Argue It Is Unconstitutional appeared first on The Political Insider.

Democrats Demand Trump Testify At Senate Impeachment Trial

Posted on by Rusty Weiss

House impeachment managers sent a letter to Donald Trump strongly suggesting the former president testify at the Senate impeachment trial.

The trial, slated to begin on Tuesday of next week, involves a charge from the House that Trump incited a mob of supporters who stormed the Capitol on January 6th.

A formal response from Trump’s lawyers “denied” that he “ever engaged in a violation of his oath of office,” and instead he, “at all times acted to the best of his ability to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Lead impeachment manager Jamie Raskin (D-MD) essentially defied Trump to prove his innocence in his own words.

“In light of your disputing these factual allegations, I write to invite you to provide testimony under oath, either before or during the Senate impeachment trial, concerning your conduct on January 6, 2021,” Raskin wrote.

The Democrat then argued that not testifying would be used against him.

“If you decline this invitation, we reserve any and all rights, including the right to establish at trial that your refusal to testify supports a strong adverse inference regarding your actions (and inaction) on January 6, 2021,” added Raskin.

RELATED: Trump’s Lawyers Argue Impeachment Article Is Violation Of The Constitution

Lindsey Graham – Not Likely Trump Will Testify at Impeachment Trial

Forbes reporter Andrew Solender tweeted a response from Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in which he dismissed Raskin’s demand as little more than a “political ploy.”

“I don’t think that would be in anybody’s interest,” Graham said according to Solender, adding that it would be a “nightmare for the country.”

“This is just a political showboat move. They didn’t call him in the House,” Graham pointed out.

Raskin’s letter attempts to argue that there is precedent for Presidents testifying at their impeachment trial.

“Presidents Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton both provided testimony while in office—and the Supreme Court held just last year that you were not immune from legal process while serving as President—so there is no doubt that you can testify in these proceedings,” he said.

Raskin is seemingly unaware that Trump is no longer the President.

Solender reports that Graham spoke to the former President a couple of days ago and he’s in “pretty good spirits, trying to get adjusted to his new life.”

RELATED: Maxine Waters Wants Trump Charged With ‘Premeditated Murder’

A Political Ploy

Raskin’s letter is rich, not only with political ploys but with irony. Tremendously thick irony, at that.

The Maryland Democrat is “guilty” of the very same thing he is tasked with proving is a high crime and misdemeanor in Trump’s impeachment trial.

Raskin objected to the certification of Florida’s electoral votes in 2017. In fact, House Democrats tried objecting to the certification of electoral votes for Donald Trump that year on 11 separate occasions.

One could argue, using the Democrat party’s own standard today, that the constant insistence that Trump didn’t really win the election in 2016 led to an incitement of violence on inauguration day.

House managers do not have independent authority to subpoena Trump so they must invite him to make his case.

The Senate, according to the New York Post, could subpoena him with a simple majority.

The post Democrats Demand Trump Testify At Senate Impeachment Trial appeared first on The Political Insider.

Trump’s Lawyers Argue Impeachment Article Is Violation Of The Constitution

Posted on by Rusty Weiss

Donald Trump’s lawyers argue that the House impeachment charge is unconstitutional and are calling on the Senate to acquit the former President.

In their first formal response, Trump’s lawyers “denied” that the former President “ever engaged in a violation of his oath of office,” and by contrast, he, “at all times acted to the best of his ability to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

They also assert that going through a process designed to remove somebody from office when he is no longer in the office is a violation of the Constitution.

The brief calls for dismissal of the article stating, “Incitement of Insurrection against him as moot, and thus in violation of the Constitution, because the Senate lacks jurisdiction to remove from office a man who does not hold office.”

45th President’s Answer… by Fox News

RELATED: AOC Equates Republicans to Her Sexual Assault Abuser, Says She Thought She Would Die During Capitol Riots

House Impeachment Managers Say Overwhelming Evidence to Convict Trump

House impeachment managers earlier today filed a pre-trial brief which revealed what their plan of attack will be in the upcoming Senate trial.

“In a grievous betrayal of his Oath of Office, President Trump incited a violent mob to attack the United States Capitol during the Joint Session, thus impeding Congress’s confirmation of Joseph R. Biden, Jr. as the winner of the presidential election,” they argue.

The filing claims that the “facts are compelling and the evidence is overwhelming.”

The impeachment managers also counter the argument that the trial would be unconstitutional.

“[T]he text and structure of the Constitution, as well as its original meaning and prior interpretations by Congress, overwhelmingly demonstrate that a former official remains subject to trial and conviction for abuses committed in office,” the brief reads.

“Any other rule would make little sense.”

RELATED: Biden Considering Revoking Trump’s Right To Access Classified Briefings

Democrats Still Have an Uphill Battle

An impeachment conviction requires a two-thirds vote, which in the Senate would require 17 Republicans joining all 50 Democrats in voting to convict Trump.

Senator Rand Paul already set the stage by forcing a vote on the constitutionality of the impeachment of the former President.

45 Republicans – including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell – voted that the impeachment trial is unconstitutional.

“45 Senators agreed that this sham of a ‘trial’ is unconstitutional,” he tweeted. “That is more than will be needed to acquit and to eventually end this partisan impeachment process.”

“This ‘trial’ is dead on arrival in the Senate,” he wrote.

“The Constitution says two things about impeachment — it is a tool to remove the officeholder, and it must be presided over by the chief justice of the Supreme Court,” Paul wrote in an op-ed column.

Neither of those elements exists in this case, as President Trump is no longer in office and Chief Justice John Roberts has declined to preside over the trial.

Trump’s lawyers and the House impeachment managers will submit another round of briefs next Monday, and the trial is scheduled to begin on February 9th.

The post Trump’s Lawyers Argue Impeachment Article Is Violation Of The Constitution appeared first on The Political Insider.

Pelosi Calls On Democrat Lawmakers To ‘Write Their Stories’ Of Capitol Riots

Posted on by LifeZette

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) sent a letter to her fellow Democrat lawmakers on Wednesday urging them to “write your story of January 6,” referring to the Capitol riots.

Pelosi Pens Letter To Democrats Regarding Capitol Riots

“Today also marks three weeks since the insurrection against the U.S. Capitol and against our Democracy,” Pelosi wrote, according to The Hill. “I urge all Members to take advantage of this time to write your story of January 6.”

“I also hope you have taken advantage of the trauma and resilience resources provided by the Office of Employee Assistance, and I encourage you to do so if you have not. Members have told me that they have found these resources to be beneficial,” she added.

Related: Pelosi’s Past Comes Back To Haunt Her – She Once Praised Unionists Storming State Capitol Of Wisconsin

Pelosi led the charge in the House impeaching Donald Trump for a second time for allegedly inciting the Capitol riots. A Senate impeachment trial has been scheduled to take place on February 8, and if he is impeached there, he will not be allowed to run for office again.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has described the Capitol riots as a “pretty traumatizing event,” going so far as to say that she thought she was “going to die” at one point. She has also indicated that she will be receiving counseling to deal with the trauma she supposedly suffered from during this event.

Pelosi Claims They’re Doing Work ‘For The People’

Pelosi concluded her letter with some encouraging words for her Democratic colleagues, claiming that the work that they are doing is “for the people.”

“As we continue our work For The People, we must do so prayerfully, solemnly and courageously,” wrote Pelosi.

“Let us draw faith and inspiration from the closing words of the poem that Amanda Gorman shared with the nation one week ago: ‘For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it, if only we’re brave enough to be it,'” she concluded.

Related: Nancy Pelosi Suggests Trump Could Be Charged As Accessory To Murder For Capitol Riots

Pelosi has previously said that she is “not worried” that impeaching Trump will undercut the message of unity that President Joe Biden claims to want to push.

“No, I’m not worried about that,” Pelosi said. “The fact is the president of the United States committed an act of incitement of insurrection. I don’t think it’s very unifying to say, ‘Oh, let’s just forget it and move on.’”

This piece was written by James Samson on January 27, 2021. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

Read more at LifeZette:
Cindy McCain Breaks Her Silence After She’s Censored By Arizona GOP
Meghan McCain Blasts Katie Couric For Saying Republicans Need To Be ‘Deprogrammed’ – ‘Go To Hell’
The ‘Squad’ Issues Brutal Impeachment Warning – ‘Dangerous Precedent’

The post Pelosi Calls On Democrat Lawmakers To ‘Write Their Stories’ Of Capitol Riots appeared first on The Political Insider.

Rubio Rips Impeachment – Says Trump Can Be Criminally Prosecuted As Private Citizen Instead

Posted on by LifeZette

Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) went on Fox News on Tuesday to say that he is against holding an impeachment trial against Donald Trump because the former president is now a private citizen, and can therefore be prosecuted in the criminal justice system.

Rubio Discusses Impeachment 

Fox News host Neil Cavuto posed the question, “Do you think he provoked that crowd when he said, ‘These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots.’ Do you think he should be punished for those remarks?”

“Yeah, so if someone makes those remarks, he’s a private citizen,” Rubio replied. “So he’s now — the reason why we have impeachment is the following; you can’t charge a president.”

“So you have to remove them from office and then subject to criminal penalty,” he added. “That’s why Ford Pardoned Nixon because after he resigned, he could have still been prosecuted.”

“If he did something that rises to that level and that these folks so strongly believe, then the criminal justice system and the civil system is in place to pursue,” Rubio continued. 

Related: Rubio Attacks Fauci Again For Misleading Americans On Masks And Herd Immunity – ‘I Am Appalled By His Arrogance’

Rubio Places Some Blame On Trump For Capitol Riots

Cavuto responded by questioning if Trump’s comments were “incendiary enough.”

“I think there’s no doubt that the president bears some responsibility for what happened,” Rubio responded. “If he’s president of the United States, you can’t charge him criminally. You have to impeach him and remove them and then charge him criminally.”

“In this case, he’s a private citizen,” he added. “If he committed wrongdoing while he was president, the criminal justice system can deal with that. This is not the right use of Congress’ time. It’s vindictive. It’s about revenge.”

Related: Marco Rubio Says It’s Time For ‘Honest Reflection’ Among Conservatives Following Capitol Riots

Rubio Says Impeaching Trump Would Be ‘Arrogant’

This came two days after Rubio said that it would be “arrogant” to impeach Trump just so that he can’t vote in the future.

“I think that’s an arrogant statement for anyone to make,” he said, according to Politico. “Voters get to decide that. Who are we to tell voters who they can vote for in the future?”

He added that the impeachment trial is “counterproductive” and will “continue to fuel these divisions that have paralyzed the country.”

“The first chance I get to vote to end this trial, I will do it, because I think it’s really bad for America,” he said.

Rubio followed through on Tuesday night by joining 44 other Republicans in voting against the impeachment trial, arguing that it is unconstitutional.

This piece was written by James Samson on January 27, 2021. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

Read more at LifeZette:
Katie Couric’s Calls To ‘Deprogram’ Trump Supporters Come Back To Haunt Her As She Prepares To Host ‘Jeopardy’
Cindy McCain Breaks Her Silence After She’s Censored By Arizona GOP
Democratic Senator Hirono Reveals Real Goal Behind Trump Impeachment Effort

The post Rubio Rips Impeachment – Says Trump Can Be Criminally Prosecuted As Private Citizen Instead appeared first on The Political Insider.

WH Press Secretary Jen Psaki: Even With Impeachment, Biden Can Reach ‘Unity’ With Trump Supporters

Posted on by John Hanson

On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told a reporter that President Joe Biden could still achieve “unity” with 74 million supporters of Donald Trump even while encouraging the Senate to move forward with an impeachment trial of the former president.

Ami magazine’s Jake Turx asked Psaki during the daily White House press briefing, “Does the president believe he can attain unity with the 74 million Trump voters while urging his allies in the Senate to hold an impeachment trial after his predecessor has already left office?”

Watch the exchange below.

RELATED: Report: Biden Received Over $145 Million In ‘Dark Money’ Campaign Cash

Psaki: Biden ‘Is Speaking To All Of The American People’

Psaki responded, “Well, the president believes he was elected by 81 million Americans in part because they believed he was somebody who could help bring the country together, unify the country around addressing the crises we face.”

“And when he talks every day, nearly, about getting the pandemic under control, putting people back to work, he is not just speaking to people who voted for him,” she added.

Then Psaki addressed Biden’s approach to Trump supporters.

The press secretary said Biden, “is speaking to all of the American people, including the 74 million who didn’t vote for him.”

How many of those 74 million voters honestly feel like Biden is speaking for or looking out for them?

Psaki continued, “And certainly addressing the pandemic, making, insuring people that don’t worry about the health and safety of their grandparents, of their sisters and brothers, getting kids back to school — that is not a partisan position.”

RELATED: Trump Supporting MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell Permanently Banned By Twitter Over Alleged Election Misinformation

Psaki Does Not Seem To See A Problem

She then insisted the president was standing up for all Americans.

“That is a leadership position, and one he’s taking because he wants to make sure he’s delivering for all the American people,” Psaki finished.

The Senate proceeded with impeachment plans on Tuesday after a motion by Sen. Rand Paul to dismiss the trial failed 55-45 with five Republicans crossing over to vote with the Democrats.

Paul had raised a point of order on the constitutionality of the trial, given that President Trump is already out of office and is now a private citizen.

Watch Psaki’s comments here, beginning at 1:09:55

The post WH Press Secretary Jen Psaki: Even With Impeachment, Biden Can Reach ‘Unity’ With Trump Supporters appeared first on The Political Insider.