There was an unintended moment of levity during a break at the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump on Tuesday.
Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal, one of the designated “spin doctors” sent to the microphones to clean up any damage to the Democrats’ message caused by President Trump’s impeachment attorneys, dropped an unintentional truth bomb during a media interview.
C-SPAN broke away from the proceedings in time to hear Blumenthal say this about the Trump defense lawyers:
It was a fact-free summation of a case bereft of evidence – we need the evidence. We need the witnesses and documents… They may have the votes at this moment, but I hope my colleagues will look themselves in the mirror … [W]hat we want is the truth, not some quid pro quo on the witnesses…
Look what he said about the case. Was he really accusing the Trump lawyers of having a case that was “bereft of evidence”? Look at the next sentence. Blumenthal said, “we need evidence.”
The Trump defense team did provide additional information to the Democrat House Managers during the trial, but, while it’s politically smart, the burden of proving the case is certainly not on the president’s team. It’s up to the Democrat House Managers to make their case, which, by Blumenthal’s lights, is “bereft of evidence.”
Blumenthal’s plea for witnesses and documents — “we need the evidence” — only underscores how hastily the House put their “bereft of evidence” case together.
ABC News captured the first part of Blumenthal’s remarks, which go after the Trump team:
NEW: Sen. Richard Blumenthal whether Republicans have votes to block witnesses: "They may have the votes at this moment, but I hope my colleagues will look themselves in the mirror and look at how they will be viewed by history and by their constituents." t.co/qO2aC5p4ID pic.twitter.com/C6AYcz6McO
— ABC News (@ABC) January 28, 2020