After a powerful closing Thursday night, Rep. Adam Schiff and the rest of the House impeachment managers return Friday for their final day of opening arguments in the impeachment trial of Donald Trump. The question remains whether any Republican senators are even listening amid all the fidget spinning and playing hooky.
Schiff, House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler, and Reps. Zoe Lofgren, Hakeem Jeffries, Sylvia Garcia, Val Demings, and Jason Crow have another eight hours to make their case, but they aren’t required to use it all, and some have suggested they might wrap up early. In Thursday’s arguments, the Democrats prebutted key parts of the Trump defense and did exactly what Trump is always saying people should do: read the “transcript” of his July 25 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Friday they are expected to show how Trump obstructed Congress (and why that’s wrong, since Republicans seem fine with it).
On Saturday, Trump’s defense team begins to make its case, which evidence suggests will consist of a lot of lies, attacks on Schiff, and blatant pandering to Trump’s ego.
Friday’s arguments once again start at 1 PM ET.