Schiff: Trump lawyers ‘deathly afraid’ of witnesses
The leader of the House impeachment case said Sunday that President Donald Trump’s defense team is “deathly afraid” of possible testimony from key witnesses in a Senate trial.
“I think they’re deathly afraid of what witnesses will have to say and so their whole strategy has been deprive the public of a fair trial,” House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “They don’t frame it that way, but that’s in essence it.”
Democrats have argued that officials with potential firsthand knowledge of Trump’s decision to hold up military aid to Ukraine should testify in the trial. Those possible witnesses include acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and former national security adviser John Bolton.
House Democrats on Friday wrapped up their case against Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress over efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rivals. Trump’s defense kicked off Saturday, with lawyers attempting to cast doubt on those allegations, and it will continue Monday. The Senate could take final votes on the charges as early as this week if motions to call witnesses fail.
Schiff dinged the Trump defense team, saying his lawyers “don’t really contest the president’s scheme.”
“They don’t say that there was no evidence that he was conditioning the aid. They just try to make the case that you don’t need a fair trial here, you can make these go away,” the California Democrat said.
“But look — if they’re successful in depriving the country of a fair trial, there is no exoneration,” he added. “There is no exoneration.”
But at least four Senate Republicans must join with Democrats in a vote for additional witnesses to be called.
Schiff also criticized the possibility of “witness reciprocity,” in which House Democrats and Trump’s defense would be able to pair witnesses called to testify.
“I think the president has the right to call relevant witnesses, just as we do, in his defense,” Schiff said. “He doesn’t have the right to call irrelevant witnesses or witnesses who aren’t fact witnesses.”
