Impeachment Trial Day 4: Democrats Conclude Their Opening Arguments

by Countable's Trump Impeachment Coverage | 1.24.20

What’s the story?

• House Democrats will conclude their opening arguments in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump on Friday. They enter the day with just under 8 hours remaining of the 24 hours allotted to make their initial presentation.
• The Democratic managers are expected to focus today’s arguments on the second article of impeachment against President Trump: obstruction of Congress. That comes after Thursday’s arguments centered on the abuse of power article and Wednesday’s focused on the overall case for convicting Trump of the charges and removing him from office.

What’s next?

• Once the Democratic managers exhaust the remaining time available to them for their opening presentation, the Senate will adjourn for the day (likely around 10pm EST).
• The trial will resume tomorrow with a rare Saturday session for the Senate, that will feature President Trump’s defense team beginning their opening arguments against impeachment. 
• Saturday’s session is expected to be considerably shorter than the impeachment sessions this week at only 2-3 hours, with Trump’s defense team saving what’s left of the 24 hours available to them for next week when the Senate reconvenes

Who are the House managers?

• House Democrats’ impeachment managers include Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA), Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY), and Reps. Jason Crow (D-CO), Val Demings (D-FL), Sylvia Garcia (D-TX), Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), and Zoe Lofgren (D-CA).
• Early Wednesday, the GOP-controlled Senate adopted rules for its trial, after killing off all Democratic-introduced amendments.

What are the rules?

• Evidence collected by the House won't be automatically admitted for the trial—senators will vote, later, on which materials to admit.
• House impeachment managers – the prosecutors – and Trump’s defense team will have 24 hours, split over three days, for opening arguments. 
• The question of witnesses will be addressed after opening arguments.

What do you think?

Do you support Trump's impeachment? Do you want to hear from witnesses? Will you be swayed by the opening arguments? Take action and tell them know, then share your thoughts below.

— Eric Revell