Trump complains about his defense team’s ‘Death Valley’ impeachment time slot
The president is eager for a TV-friendly performance by his attorneys, who are due to start presenting their case this weekend.
President Donald Trump, flashing the fixation of a former reality television showman, lamented on Friday that his impeachment defense team was being made to present its case this weekend during the “Death Valley” of broadcast time slots.
“After having been treated unbelievably unfairly in the House, and then having to endure hour after hour of lies, fraud & deception by Shifty Schiff, Cryin’ Chuck Schumer & their crew, looks like my lawyers will be forced to start on Saturday, which is called Death Valley in T.V.,” the president wrote on Twitter.
Trump also fired off a salvo of other impeachment-related posts Friday morning — promoting a Wall Street Journal op-ed critical of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and sharing remarks by GOP Sens. John Barrasso, Ted Cruz, Joni Ernst, Lindsey Graham, James Lankford, Mike Lee and Tim Scott.
The president’s complaint represents yet another indication of his eagerness for a captivating, media-minded showing by the squad of conservative attorneys arguing against his removal from office, headed up by White House counsel Pat Cipollone and Trump’s personal attorney Jay Sekulow.
As the Republican-controlled Senate is expected to quickly acquit Trump, the White House’s primary goal for the proceedings is to sway public opinion in the president’s favor amid his 2020 reelection campaign.
Although Trump cannot shape certain visual aspects of the Senate trial — such as the chamber’s lighting and the angles of the TV cameras recording the action on the floor — the White House will be able to hone its lawyer’s performances for maximum political effect and is considering deploying allies on cable news to ensure the administration’s defense receives adequate airtime.
The House impeachment managers, led by Rep. Adam Schiff, are set to conclude on Friday their third and final day of arguments advocating for the president’s conviction.
Thus far, the Democratic lawmakers’ presentation has been widely praised by other members of their party, as well as some Republicans, for its painstaking detail and copious TV-friendly evidence — including screenshots of deposition transcripts, emails, text messages and roughly 50 video clips.
On Wednesday, the managers described in depth Trump’s efforts to pressure Ukraine’s government to open investigations into his political rivals. On Thursday, they sought to justify the House’s first impeachment article charging Trump with abuse of power. And on Friday, they are likely to delve into the second article alleging that Trump obstructed Congress during its impeachment inquiry.
Beginning Saturday, the president’s legal team will be similarly afforded 24 hours to address senators over the course of three calendar days, although some of Trump’s supporters on Capitol Hill have suggested his lawyers may not use all of their allotted time.
Such a schedule could set the stage for a highly anticipated debate to approve additional witnesses and documents for the trial on Monday or Tuesday, with a final vote potentially taking place sometime next week.
The timetable for opening arguments emerged as a chief point of contention during negotiations over the terms of Trump’s trial earlier this week, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell eventually acceding to pressure from Democratic and centrist Republican senators seeking an expanded calendar.
McConnell had initially proposed for the House managers and Trump’s attorneys to be afforded 24 hours over two days to make their cases.