Thread by @HeidiNBC

Trump is being acquitted primarily on the premise that the House process was unfair to him.

Your guide (THREAD)👉

1. 17 witnesses w knowledge of Trump's withholding of Ukraine aid testified. The GOP called, and got, Amb Volker & Tim Morrison.

2. Trump blocked anyone in a position to exonerate him & R's made no attempt to call them: Mulvaney, Blair, Pompeo.

3. The GOP witnesses denied -- the whistleblower & Hunter Biden -- have nothing to offer on Trump's motives in withholding Ukraine aid. They are immaterial.

Sen. Cornyn, T-Texas, even said this about Hunter.

4. Lots of scorn for Schiff for failing to "do his job" and call Bolton. House Dems badly wanted to call Bolton but Bolton wouldn't do it. He said, basically, take me to court. It wasn't until EARLY JAN that he agreed.

5. Attys and lawmakers from BOTH PARTIES cross examined these witnesses. (They were initially deposed. This is how the Senate woulda done it too.) These were the so-called "secretive" meetings which any R serving on 3 committees was welcome to attend.

Among the lawmakers who "stormed" the SCIF, where the depositions were held, were those who had clearance to attend in the first place.

6. The president's attorneys were invited to participate in a Judiciary Committee hearing and cross examine the lead Democratic attorney ..

investigating the case (like when Ken Starr presented his case against Clinton) and they refused.

7. According to a leaked manuscript of his book, Bolton would give firsthand testimony that Trump held back aid Ukraine needed to protect itself from Russia until ...

the new anti-corruption president would announce a baseless investigation of Joe Biden. He will also, reportedly, say the president's own attorney is a witness to Trump coordinating the scheme with Rudy.

8. Cipollone closed out his argument today of how unfair it's all been to Trump by, again, saying he didn't get to cross examine the witnesses.

This. is. what. trials. are. for.

Now that the Senate, run by Republicans (McConnell said he's in total coordination with Trump) is in total control, they are choosing not to call any witnesses.

But Sen. Lamar Alexander, the retiring Republican from Tennessee, said that's not even necessary because ...

the House managers have proved the case against Trump "with what they call a ‘mountain of overwhelming evidence."

What the president did in using $400 million in funds Congress approved to defend an important ally that's lost tens of thousands of lives to Russian aggression was

"inappropriate" but not impeachable, he said.

500 U.S. const. law experts disagreed several weeks ago. Alan Dershowitz, who repped OJ & Epstein, is still practically alone in his position that a modern day statutory "crime" (like lying about sex under oath) is needed to impeach.

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