It's time for your daily ~vibe check~ in the Senate chamber.
It's day 7 of the trial, and senators are pretty clearly worn out. The Senate convened slightly later than usual, and senators were slower to trickle into the chamber. There's a collective sense of exhaustion.
It's day 7 of the trial, and senators are pretty clearly worn out. The Senate convened slightly later than usual, and senators were slower to trickle into the chamber. There's a collective sense of exhaustion.
Several Republicans walked in over ten minutes late, as did Democrat Klobuchar. Tim Scott and Sasse began chatting shortly after proceedings began. At one point they both laughed, then turned and seemingly shared with their seatmates on the opposite side, Portman and Cassidy.
The last-day-of-school vibe extended to the Democratic side as well. At one point, Klobuchar shared a note with Coons, who sits next to her, and they both laughed.
As I've previously noted, Romney received a glass of chocolate milk. He drank it extremely quickly. Manchin appeared to receive plain milk but was drinking it far more slowly.
Mitch McConnell's smile is a subtle thing. The man so rarely moves while he's listening to the arguments that it can be hard to notice when the corners of his mouth tip ever so slightly upwards. But the McConnell smile was clearly present as Jay Sekulow concluded his remarks.
When the Senate broke for a recess, Murkowski & Collins remained seated. They faced each other & placed hands over the side of their faces as they talked, as if concerned reporters would read their lips from the press gallery. The two nodded multiple times during this brief chat.
Today's trial ended at 3pm! If I had the capacity to feel other than exhaustion, I'd be thrilled. Here's your final ~vibe check~ thread.
The most interesting parts of the final 45 minutes of today's proceedings happened before the Senate reconvened and after it adjourned, sandwiching Cipollone's brief remarks in the middle.
About ten minutes before the Senate reconvened, several senators were in the chamber.
About ten minutes before the Senate reconvened, several senators were in the chamber.
The biggest social butterfly was Kyrsten Sinema. She spoke with Shelby, then swung by a gaggle with Cassidy, Alexander, Cornyn, and Rep. Greg Walden. She then sat down in one of the chairs at the back of the chamber with Portman, where the two spoke for several minutes.
Tillis sat down next to Portman and Portman threw his arm around him, the three of them - Portman, Tillis, Sinema -engaging in friendly conversation.
Other bipartisan conversations during the recess were between Coons and Young, Blunt and Blumenthal and Daines and Cantwell.
Other bipartisan conversations during the recess were between Coons and Young, Blunt and Blumenthal and Daines and Cantwell.
A little under half the Senate wasn't present when Pat Cipollone began speaking. When Cipollone thanked the minority leader, he was speaking to an empty chair, as Schumer showed up moments later.
When Cipollone played video of Democrats' comments against the Clinton impeachment in 1999, several Republicans smiled. When Cipollone deadpanned "you were right" to the Democrats after the video ended, the Republican side of the chamber erupted in laughter.
A few senators were still straggling in as Cipollone concluded his remarks. When he said that the White House lawyers had finished their arguments, Collins nodded approvingly, whether in support of the argument or the shorter time frame I couldn't tell.
The senators were chatty as they stood to leave the chamber. Cipollone walked over to the managers' table and shook hands with Nadler - whom I didn't see earlier in the day - and Jeffries. Nadler and Jeffries seemed to give Cipollone very perfunctory greetings.
Meanwhile, Norm Eisen, the managers' counsel who was very friendly with Dershowitz last night, was chatting amiably with the White House lawyers. He shook hands with Sekulow and Cipollone.
Thune and Manchin gathered around Collins' desk and chatted for a few minutes. Thune left, but Manchin remained for a few more moments. After Collins was done talking to Manchin, she wandered over to Burr's desk, where he was chatting with Portman, Sullivan, Thune and Cotton.
Meanwhile, Sinema was chatting with Republican Lamar Alexander for several minutes in the same row where she had spoken to Portman, engaged in deep conversation. Alexander is considered a key vote on deciding whether to have witnesses.
That's it for today! Your daily ~vibe check~, and perhaps the spinoff MILK WATCH, will be back in your TL tomorrow.
