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Senate Drafts Rules for Impeachment Trial: No Mobile Phones, No Talking

Senate Drafts Rules for Impeachment Trial: No Mobile Phones, No Talking

McConnell and Schumer warned that they will strictly enforce the rules.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1RklrwQ448 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkcH3y8UCmM

The Senate released a draft of rules senators must follow during the impeachment trial. It includes no mobile phones and limits the press.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote this letter to their colleagues.

They start off with access to the Senate wing on Capitol Hill. Obviously Sentars and members of Congress have access, but staff must have a Congressional ID and a special-issued credential. Official business visitors can only go if they have a staff member with proper ID escorts them.

The two leaders told Senators that if a media organization contacts them about credentials they should tell them “to call their respective Senate media gallery to inquire about obtaining a media credential.”

McConnell and Schumer instructed their colleagues not to stand on the floor. They requested the Senators “to remain in their seats at all times they are on the Senate floor during the impeachment proceedings.”

The staff of the Senators face restrictions on the floor as well. Only those with “official impeachment proceedings duties” will have access to the floor.

Other rules:

  • They can’t have their phones: “No use of phones or electronic devices will be allowed in the Chamber.”
  • They have to call Roberts by this title: During the course of the proceedings the Chief Justice should be referred to as “Mr. Chief Justice.”
  • When they vote, they must stand: “Should votes be required during the proceedings, Senators will stand and vote from their seats.”

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Comments

notamemberofanyorganizedpolicital | January 15, 2020 at 4:13 pm

Share.

Articles of impeachment were introduced against 5 of the 6 Republican presidents who have served since President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

http://acecomments.mu.nu/?post=385277

When you act like a child you get treated like a child.

What? No throwing feces and bags of urine?

My God I hope they limit opening statements to 5 minutes!

McConnell is making a mistake by allowing this to go forward. If there is no claim of a crime then it is nothing but politics. The American people can not understand what impeachment is if there are no crimes charged. It boils down to policy differences and that is not impeachable. By allowing it to go forward, McConnell will legitimize it and then the precedent will be set. Our three leged government is almost dysfunctional now, imagine what it will become after this sham?

    It doesn’t look like he has much choice, given the (at least) three Quislings he has to deal with.

    Sanddog in reply to inspectorudy. | January 15, 2020 at 6:07 pm

    It’s a “crime against the Democrats” which apparently, is the most heinous crime that can be committed in this country.

    he is in a position to make that really clear. I think they should call witnesses, the democrats can call any they call in the house, the republicans get to call the ones the democrats would not let them call, plus the whistle blowers(more than one), and all the democrats that called for the impeachment before Pres Trump was sworn in, and with even more emphasis on the ones that called for impeachment of VP Pence

“It doesn’t look like he has much choice, given the (at least) three Quislings he has to deal with.”
*****
Exactly, Mitch doesn’t have the votes to deviate much from the Clinton “Trial” procedures. The “Three” and a few other Rethugs have pretty much said that there won’t be any shortcuts.

PROCEDURE AND GUIDELINES FOR
IMPEACHMENT TRIALS IN THE
UNITED STATES SENATE

(REVISED EDITION)

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CDOC-99sdoc33/html/CDOC-99sdoc33.htm

No mobile phones, no talking.

Okay; so far so good. Now lets have the most important rule,

No Democrats.

    What’s the under and over on who starts screaming on the democrat side?

      My money is on Spartacus or Kamala

      100 “Presidents in waiting”, who love nothing more than hearing themselves talk, are going to remain completely silent for weeks?

      I’ll believe it when I see it.

    snopercod in reply to fscarn. | January 15, 2020 at 7:14 pm

    No chewing gum on line, either!

    4fun in reply to fscarn. | January 15, 2020 at 8:30 pm

    The democrats that ran and are still running for the office of President should have to recuse themselves. They aren’t unbiased participants.

      oldgoat36 in reply to 4fun. | January 15, 2020 at 8:54 pm

      A senator has made this very statement. Frankly, it is one which there is little argument against. By their being declared candidates to take the job of the person they are supposed to be sitting in judgement of, they have already declared their position, which cannot be unbiased.
      Of course most have made up their minds on this sham already, but the 4 running for the nomination can’t really hide behind a pretense of being impartial to the outcome, and given their poor polling, this is a direct action which could improve their odds.

Let us be clear –

The real problem here are the republicans that could put this sham deep in the ground. They are just as bad, every bit as bad, as the Pelosi/AOC/Schiff party.

    ronk in reply to Barry. | January 15, 2020 at 6:40 pm

    all they are interested is getting re-elected

    txvet2 in reply to Barry. | January 16, 2020 at 1:29 pm

    No, they’re not. They may be bad, but they aren’t trying to overthrow the legally elected government and the Constitution. Yes, we have our quislings, but if you think what’s happening now is bad, imagine these Dems with the opportunity they had under Obama – full control of the government.

No cell phones? No talking? How about we make rule #1: NO FAKE ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT. Followed by rule #2: “CASE DISMISSED.” JFC this is beyond a joke.

    txvet2 in reply to CKYoung. | January 16, 2020 at 1:33 pm

    I think one of the worst punishments they can suffer is to be stuck in the Senate chamber without their cell phones for several hours a day. Plus the fact that they can’t be out fundraising.

Unfortunately, I think the only reason Schumer issued this joint statement with McConnell is because Democrats have peeled off enough Vichy Republicans (Mitt Romneycare & Co) to hand control of the trial to Schumer. So while Trump probably won’t be removed Democrats will likely get to call whatever witnesses they want.

If Schumer did not have the Vichy Republicans firmly on a leash he would have skipped the announcement with McConnell and been doing his usual propaganda blasts to the media. Schumer’s shtick all along has been that the Senate trial is a farce unless Democrats get 100% of everything their way, so why should he suddenly throw in the towel?

Time will tell.

And when they enter the chamber at the beginning of each session of the trial, they have to do the water dance from Rango. Accompanied by the same tinny, scratchy record of “Cool Water.”