Thread by @MMineiro_CNS

Public impeachment hearings kick off in just a few minutes on Capitol Hill.

Down the street Roger Stone's trial is hurtling to an end with closing statements to begin at 1PM. @CourthouseNews
courthousenews.com/stone-told-tru…

Yesterday we heard testimony from Trump’s 2016 deputy campaign manager that contradicted statements the president made to Mueller last year, suggesting Trump may have perjured himself.

Reminder, Mueller investigated Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Today many Americans will hear for the first time how he may have committed “high crimes and misdemeanors” by inviting Ukraine to interfere in 2020.

Closing statements today will run 1hr 15mins for each side. Then shortly after 3:30 the case will be submitted to the jury.

Unlikely to get a verdict before the end of the day. That said, this trial has been moving swiftly so won’t rule it out.

Judge Jackson just told the attorneys that one of the jurors is out sick today.

The court will be excusing alternate juror 2 but alternate juror 1 will stay on to deliberate on a verdict.

Attorneys are grinding through details on jury instruction this morning. I'll make sure to flag any unusual discussions that pop up.

But make sure to also be tracking live impeachment coverage from my colleagues @BBuchman_CNS @KlasfeldReports

https://twitter.com/CourthouseNews/status/1194630745874030594?s=20

@BBuchman_CNS @KlasfeldReports Brackets on the wording, debated now in Jackson's courtroom. Promise this will pick up pace after lunch.

Expect the Justice Department to drill down its argument presented at the start of the trial that Stone lied to Congress because "the truth looked bad for Donald Trump."

@BBuchman_CNS @KlasfeldReports “I think putting in unanimously is largely for the defendant’s protection, it’s a reminder."

Jackson proposing where to put commas in the verdict form.

"I will make parallel edits on each count."

@BBuchman_CNS @KlasfeldReports This might be dry but a good reminder of the many many months of work that go into these high profile criminal trials.

@BBuchman_CNS @KlasfeldReports Jackson said the transcript of the Godfather clip to be submitted to the jury doesn't need "stage directions."

Plus she "did have a problem with adjectives. Happily, confidently....they may be accurate but that's not what I think of as a transcript."

She's going to review it.

@BBuchman_CNS @KlasfeldReports Counsel at the bench now "this is just a scheduling..." Jackson said before the husher white noise machine blocked out the conversation.

Likely they're talking over what to do about the timing this afternoon when closing statements leave the jury with hour or so to deliberate.

@BBuchman_CNS @KlasfeldReports Recessed until return of court at 1PM will a jury in the box.

House Intel Committee is holding the public impeachment hearing underway on Capitol Hill today, a first in U.S. history.

Roger Stone is charged with lying to the House Intel Committee. Mueller indicted him while investigating Russian interference in 2016.

The jury yesterday heard almost an hour of audio from Stone's testimony to the committee.

The questions largely came from Adam Schiff, the Dem now heading off the House impeachment inquiry.

DOJ says Stone lied to protect Trump. courthousenews.com/stone-trial-to…

Stone's attorney just gave him a thumbs up as the defendant took his seat. Jury back any minutes now for closing statements.

About to get underway, jury filing in.

DOJ attorney Jonathan Kravis starting out with the same statement from openings, that Stone lied to protect Trump.

Now running through all of Stone's comments on inside info on WikiLeaks from Aug 2016

“‘I believe the next tranche of documents may pertain to the Clinton foundation,’ Where have you heard that before? It’s in Jerome Corsi’s email.” DOJ attorney

“Ladies and gentlemen, Roger Stone is a political strategist. He knows how this is going to look....here is Stone giving the campaign inside information on those releases over and over and over again. This is going to look terrible for Trump."

DOJ is pairing Stone's emails/texts about WikiLeaks with his statements to the House Intel Comittee (playing them out loud in court) denying he had any written communications to turn over.

DOJ attorney telling the jury it makes sense that Stone picked comedian Randy Credico as his patsy.

“He can be a little hard to take seriously. When he was on the stand he talked about Dick Tracey and characters in movies that I have never even heard of.”

DOJ attorney showing the texts from Stone pressuring Credico to take the 5th amendment rather that testify to Congress.

"legal, take the 5th, fuck em."

DOJ attorney said to the jury that Stone telling Credico to act like The Godfather Part II character who lies to a congressional committee is "witness tampering, plain and simple.”

DOJ attorney warning the jury not to be swayed by the defense arguments up next, that no one cares, Stone didn't collude with Russia.

“You answer to them is 'That’s not how this works.' Roger stone does not get to pick and choose which facts are important and then lie about the rest of them. “

DOJ attorney saying Stone responded to every attempt to Credico

“Faced with the evidence of the truth, Roger Stone just keep doubling down on the lie.”

DOJ attorney just closed out. Back in five.

Stone's attorney leaning on his expertise as a constitutional lawyer starting out with "the restraint on governmental power if appropriate for you to consider."

Stone attorney saying that there was nothing illegal about Stone seeking out the info on WikiLeaks for the Trump campaign.

“This is what happens in campaiang. They look for opposition campaings. It happens every day.”

Quick typing there my friends, campaiang and campaings are my flying fingers version of campaign

“This whole problem starts with any issue that was created by the committee when they sent their criterion and their parameters.” Stone's attorney pinning the problem of the case on the House Intel Comm's scope

Stone attorney showing the phone records DOJ presented as evidence.

"There is not evidence of what was said in any of these calls. No evidence of what was said in any of the calls, in any of the charts that talk about calls."

“Why would he voluntarily go in and testify and go in and voluntarily answer the committee’s questions and lie?

“There is no purpose. There is no motive.” Stone's attorney

Stone's attorney calling the DOJ argument that Stone lied to protect the Trump campaign is a "nonstarter."

“Russia, Russia, this whole thing is about Russia. You don’t see anything in their criterion about Assange.” Stone's attorney

“I don’t think any of you are old enough to know about cool hand Luke....what we have got here is a failure to communicate."

Lots of cultural references thrown around in this trial but this is a first from defense attorney Bruce Rogow

Defense attorney Rogow saying “If you’re going to make a decision...There is something to be said about listening to all three hours."

“There is no question that Randy played Roger Stone." Stone's attorney, who then says the govt will argue that Stone is "too smooth" to be manipulated but that the two men had a long history between them.

Stone's attorney just made a slight bash at Credico's offer to do an impression of Bernie Sanders when he was on the witness stand.

“It’s amusing but it’s not really amusing," in the context of a criminal prosecution.

Stone's attorney a little scattered in his argument but keeps drilling down on the argument that nothing Stone did with the Trump campaign was illegal.

“Nobody knows what that call is about...this kind of ambiguity....how can you build a case on something that nobody knows what was said. Nobody knows what was said.”

Stone's taking up the late July call between Trump and Stone

Gates testified about the call and Stone's attorney just questioned the validity of his statements because Gates testified as a cooperating witness under a plea agreement.

Now on to alleged witness tampering...

“Tampered? These two guys tampered with one another for 20 years." Stone's attorney

On references to The Godfather Part II is Stone's text to Credico including to pull a Frank Pentangeli (look it up)

“This was something that was just back and forth between them. Again, nothing malignant. Nothing corrupt.” Stone's attorney.

“[Credico] did not want to be outed as somebody that had done stuff that was helpful to Donald Trump. So that was a reason for him to keep stuff under cover because that would ruin his reputation in the liberal world in which he operated.” Stone's attorney

Stone's attorney again encouraging the jury to go back and listen to the 500-600 questions the House Intel Comm asked Stone in 2017.

“This was not the voice of a man who was trying to lie, to mislead."

“There could be no sensible motive in trying to protect the campaign when the campaign was long since over and Mr Trump was the president of the united states."

Stone's attorney urges the jury to find Stone not guilty of all charges.

DOJ back up for final closing statement, shutting down Stone's attorney argument that there was nothing to hide.

“If any of this came out that the campaign was looking for information that possible came from Russia that would look, as Mr Kravis said, terrible.”

DOJ attorney rereading this opening statement from Stone's testimony to Congress:

"These hearings are largely based on a yet-unproven allegations that the Russian state is responsible for hacking of the DNC and John Podesta and the transfer of that information to Wikileaks.”

“That is an argument that you make up after the fact to cover the tracks.” DOJ attorney shutting down the Stone defense case that the House Intel Comm was investigating Russia and not WikiLeaks

DOJ attorney showing email from 9 months before Stone testified to Congress where Credico says he was not the back channel to WikiLeaks.

The argument Credico "played" Stone “flies in the face of the documents."

"Truth still matters" is the final argument from the DOJ in Roger Stone's trial. A strong finish from the federal prosecutor.

“Much of this case you have to ask so what?"

"Truth matters. Truth still matters. And I know we live in a world nowadays with Twitter...where you can find your own truth. But in our institutions...where people are under oath and have to testify, truth still matters."

Case will be submitted to the jury first thing tomorrow morning.

DOJ said in closings that Stone's lies won't just possibly land him behind bars -- they also fostered inaccuracies in the House Intel Committee report on Russian interference. Quote of the day: "Truth matters." @CourthouseNews
courthousenews.com/jury-hears-clo…