Washington, D.C. – The Senate Impeachment Trial of President Donald J. Trump moves into The House Managers’ final day of opening arguments. Stay connected to Fm News 101 KXL for the latest on the Impeachment Trial.

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Senators concluded the second day of opening arguments in President Trump’s impeachment trial on Thursday night, with House Democrats arguing the president abused his power by pressuring Ukraine for his own personal gain.Over the course of eight hours, all seven of the impeachment managers argued that Mr. Trump had abused his power by ordering a hold on foreign aid to Ukraine, claiming that the president was conditioning the release of aid on Ukraine opening an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son. The managers also argued that abuse of power was sufficient basis for an article of impeachment.Managers supplemented their arguments with a slideshow and video clips from previous testimony of current and former administration officials, as well as quotes from the president. But Republicans seemed unmoved by the Democrats’ presentation.Thursday was the second of three days of opening arguments by the House managers. Democratic senators in the Capitol seemed bolstered by the previous day’s proceedings.

But they also highlighted key portions of the factual record that remain a mystery, urging senators to issue subpoenas to compel the administration to produce key documents and witnesses that could shed more light on the president’s actions and motivations.

White House impeachment team feeling confident after second day of opening arguments, source says

A member of the White House impeachment team told CBS News that the group is feeling well-positioned ahead of their opening arguments this weekend.

The source said the team believes Democrats are failing to make their case, and the facts are on the side of President Trump.

Senate adjourns after second day of opening arguments

The Senate ended the second day of opening arguments at 10:33 p.m. The trial will resume at 1 p.m. on Friday.

Most Republicans remain somber as Schiff gives concluding statement

When impeachment manager Jason Crow announced Schiff would be giving his concluding remarks, Republican Senator Tom Cotton laughed and walked over to where Senator Ben Sasse was standing. He spoke with Sasse throughout Schiff’s concluding remarks. Senators Ron Johnson and Kevin Cramer were also chatting and laughing.

But far more of the Republican senators were somber and attentive. Senator Marco Rubio took notes throughout Schiff’s conclusion.

Schiff caps off trial for the night, completing arguments for abuse of power article

Schiff signaled the final minutes of the evening’s remarks by thanking the senators for their patience and listening ears. All the House managers can hope for, he said, is that everyone keeps an open mind.

Schiff encouraged senators to follow the president’s own words, and read the transcript summary of Mr. Trump’s July 25, 2019 call with Zelensky.

He also recounted key points of the day’s testimony, before posing the question of whether the president’s conduct, even if he’s guilty of the House managers’ assertions, merits removal from office.

“This is why he needs to be removed,” Schiff said. “Donald Trump chose Rudy Giuliani over his own intelligence agencies … when all of them were telling him this Ukraine 2016 stuff is cooky, crazy Russia propaganda, he chose not to believe them, he chose to believe Rudy Giuliani. That makes him dangerous to us, to our country.”

On Friday, House managers will deliver their case for the president’s obstruction of Congress. Throughout their arguments, House managers have pointed to witnesses and documents they’d like to hear from and read but cannot because the Trump administration has blocked them.

Blackburn slams Vindman in tweets during trial

Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn tweeted criticism of Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman Thursday evening. Impeachment managers have used several video clips from Vindman’s testimony before the House Intelligence Committee in December to bolster their argument during the Senate trial.

“Adam Schiff is hailing Alexander Vindman as an American patriot. How patriotic is it to badmouth and ridicule our great nation in front of Russia, America’s greatest enemy?” Blackburn wrote in the first of several tweets slamming Vindman. She pinned a tweet from November to the top of her profile calling Vindman “vindictive.”

Blackburn cited no evidence for her claim that Vindman badmouthed the U.S. in front of Russia. But the president’s defenders have attempted to smear Vindman, who earned a Purple Heart medal while serving in the Iraq War in 2004.

Blackburn, a fiery defender of the president, was quickly criticized for her tweet.

“It is insulting, embarrassing and disgraceful that this person sits as a U.S. senator, especially as a member of whistleblower caucus,” Mark Zaid, who has been representing the whistleblower, posted to Twitter. “Vindman serves our country in uniform, risked his life in war zones, awarded purple heart, and is a lawful whistleblower. He honors America.”

 

 

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