Michigan’s Two Senators Not Optimistic About Senate Trial Under McConnell
“In order to look at the facts, we actually have to have the facts presented,” says Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI).
The Senate trial of President Trump shifts into full gear this week. Many questions swirl around how this will play out. Will additional witnesses be called? Will this be a real examination of evidence and a serious consideration of whether the president’s conduct warrants removal of office? Or will this be a show trial designed from the beginning to exonerate Trump?
Detroit Today host Stephen Henderson talks with Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow before the proceedings get underway. Plus, Jeffrey Engel, director of the Center for Presidential History at the Southern Methodist University, who is also the author of the book, “Impeachment: An American History.”
“In order to look at the facts, we actually have to have the facts presented,” says Peters of the importance of having sufficient information going into the proceeding. “When you have someone in the executive who says… ‘I’m above the law,’ that’s very problematic for our democratic system,” adds Peters.
Stabenow says she’s never seen anything like this before. In discussing the tensions that exist within this trial, Stabenow says Democrats might have a chance to assert themselves. “This is about having the people in the room testify as to what happened…the President chose not to have his attorneys testify, he could have. He blocked all the witnesses from coming to the House. so this is his opportunity,” she explains.
Meanwhile, in looking at the format and order of the Senate trial, Engel points out that “we need to get away from the idea that what we’re going to see is a trial like we’d see on Law and Order.” He says senators are not really “jurors,” explaining instead that the Senate is a court, which is a very important distinction.
