Ross: Trump should want to hand over impeachment evidence
Jan 23, 2020, 8:44 AM | Updated: 10:51 am
(Getty Images)
There is still no indication that the Democrats’ arguments have any chance of preventing the expected acquittal of President Trump. And the President’s attorneys are confident there is no evidence to change that outcome.
Trump lawyers accidentally make case for impeachment
But the Democrats prosecuting the case say that’s because the President has all the evidence safely locked away, even though he claims it would vindicate him.
Over and over at Wednesday’s impeachment session, Lead Impeachment Manager Rep. Adam Schiff kept teasing all the evidence that we’re not seeing.
“There’s a written record of what President Trump told ambassador Sondland right after that call – would you like to see that written record?” he posited.
“Absolutely not,” is what I’m sure a lot of those Republican senators were thinking.
But Schiff wouldn’t stop. What about the cable sent by Ukraine Ambassador Bill Taylor to John Bolton at a critical moment?
“Taylor sent that cable August 29th,” he detailed. “I would like to read it to you right now, except I don’t have it, because the State Department wouldn’t provide it. We can do something about that in a document called a subpoena.”
…which the Senate is not about to issue. Of course the evidence won’t stay hidden – it’ll show up in who knows how many books after the President is acquitted.
Washington senators decry GOP ‘cover-up’ in impeachment trial
Leading me to ask: Is this approach fair to the President? Because if that evidence doesn’t make it into the trial, what would a Senate acquittal really mean? Would it really be vindication?
It would be more like giving a five-star review to a movie you haven’t seen.
Or even worse, like winning in the electoral college but losing the popular vote. Ouch.
Listen to the Seattle’s Morning News weekday mornings from 5-9 a.m. on KIRO Radio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.