I was in Senate chamber during the reading of the articles of impeachment. Here is a little bit of color for those of you who were watching on TV. The Senate chamber was deathly quiet as Schiff read the articles, a process that went on for 15 minutes. (1)
All senators listened intently, but note-taking was far more prominent among the Democrats. A large number of Democratic senators busily scribbled notes as Schiff spoke, while most Republican senators sat still, listening. (2)
There were subtle contrasts between the 100 senators. Sen. Susan Collins & Sen. Lisa Murkowski sat next to one another, with somewhat pained expressions on their faces. Sen. Dianne Feinstein sat with crossed arms and dabbed at her nose with a tissue. (3)
Sen. Sherrod Brown was hunched over and furiously scribbling on a legal pad. Sen. Kamala Harris also spent much of the time writing in a journal, at times with her left hand resting on the side of her head. (4)
Sen. Tom Cotton, a former Army Captain, sat ramrod straight, his hands together in front of him on his desk, his eyes straight ahead. Sen. Cory Booker, had a similar posture, but his shoulders were slightly hunched over. (5)
Sen. Lindsey Grahahm, R-S.C., let out a lengthy yawn, as did Sen. Bill Cassiday, R-La. Sen. The brow of John Thune, R-S.D., was furrowed in an intense scowl. Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, held his left hand over his mouth. (6)
All the House managers stood in the well of the Senate on the Democratic side, with their backs to the senators. Each manager held a blue binder with their copy of the articles of impeachment inside. Schiff read from a copy in a black binder that he left in the Senate. (7)
Schiff finished at 12:20 p.m. and the managers were led out of the chamber by Sergeant at arms Michael C. Stenger (fin)
