WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A Democratic push for witnesses at Donald Trump’s U.S. Senate impeachment trial appeared to flag on Wednesday, raising the possibility the president could be acquitted as early as Friday, as the White House objected to the publication of a book by former national security adviser John Bolton.
Here are some quotes from Day Eight:
SENATE DEMOCRATIC LEADER CHUCK SCHUMER
“We’ve always said it’s uphill. There’s tremendous pressure from a vindictive, nasty president on every Republican senator, but I think they sit there as they listen to these questions …
and we’ve got a real shot to get witnesses and documents.”
TRUMP ATTORNEY PATRICK PHILBIN:
“It’s not just a question of, ‘Well should we just hear one witness?’ That’s not what the real question is going to be. For this institution, the real question is: ‘What is the precedent that is going to be set for what is an acceptable way for the House of Representatives to bring an impeachment of a president of the United States to this chamber?’”
DEMOCRATIC IMPEACHMENT MANAGER ADAM SCHIFF:
“When you have a witness as plainly relevant as John Bolton who goes to the heart of the most serious and most egregious of the president’s misconduct, who has volunteered to come and testify – to turn him away, to look the other way I think is deeply at odds with being an impartial juror.”
TRUMP ATTORNEY ALAN DERSHOWITZ:
“Every public official that I know believes that his election is in the public interest. And mostly you’re right. Your election is in the public interest. And if a president did something that he believes will help him get elected, in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment.”
DEMOCRATIC SENATOR MAZIE HIRONO, commenting on Dershowitz
“That was one of the most bizarre things I’ve ever heard as a response. That means that basically anybody, even someone who is totally off-base or even insane, if that person happens to be the president … that’s A-OK.”
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, on Twitter:
“There is much talk that certain Democrats are going to be voting with Republicans on the Impeachment Hoax, so that the Senate can get back to the business of taking care of the American people. Sorry, but Cryin’ Chuck Schumer will never let that happen!”
Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, Richard Cowan, Susan Cornwell and David Morgan; Editing by Andy Sullivan, Dan Grebler and Peter Cooney