John Kelly: Without witnesses, Senate will be forever known as shirking its responsibilities

[Mike 03]

NYT Live Updating 11 Min Ago

John F. Kelly, President Trump’s former chief of staff and secretary of homeland security, said on Friday that the Senate would be known forever as a body that “shirks its responsibilities” if it wraps up the trial of his former boss without hearing witnesses.

Mr. Kelly, breaking even further with the president, said the impeachment proceedings would be only “half a trial” if the senators did not hear testimony from the likes of John R. Bolton, the president’s former national security adviser, who wrote in an unpublished book that Mr. Trump directly conditioned American security aid to politically beneficial investigations.

“In my view, they kind of leave themselves open to a lot of criticism,” Mr. Kelly told NJ Advance Media in an interview tied to an upcoming speech at Drew University. “It seems it was half a trial.”

Mr. Kelly, who already said this week that he believed Mr. Bolton’s account, which the president has denied, pointed to polls showing overwhelming public support for witnesses.

“If I was advising the United States Senate, I would say, ‘If you don’t respond to 75 percent of the American voters and have witnesses, it’s a job only half done,’” he said. “You open yourself up forever as a Senate that shirks its responsibilities.”

NYT Live Updating Blog: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/trump-impeachment-trial-01-31?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

[spanone]

1. K&R...

[D_Master81]

2. This is what I don't get

They are essentially calculating that the political blowback from holding a sham trial will be less than if they heard witnesses and then said they still don’t think it’s impeachable. I mean at least with Kavanaugh they pretended.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

5. They're more scared of trumPutin and the oligarchs than of the voters.

GOPers in office are betting that the consolidation of power is complete. They do not fear the voters.

[bluestarone]

7. my thoughts are If dealing with just one person (tRUMP) that's one thing BUT

We have a HORNETS NEST here! Probably 30 or more RETHUGS involved in this shit! They are thinking their best chance is the 2020 election!

[lunasun]

3. He had a terrible reputation even before he hooked up with trump that's why trump wanted him

In my view .....
If I was advising ..

[Hortensis]

4. Without witnesses and documents, there was no trial

and Trump was not acquitted.

[awesomerwb1]

6. True (obvious)

But here's another mofo who knows about a ton of crap that went down at the WH and he's said nothing.

[EleanorR]

8. It's like something you'd see in russia

Link to tweet

?s=20

[MagickMuffin]

9. Make that the Republican Controlled Senate

Just like they controlled the 3 branches until the Blue Tsunami in 2018

[maxsolomon]

10. Kelly's words mean nothing to anyone.

Dems have been in front of him for years; Repukes have written him off as disloyal to the boss.

I guess he's talking to Schmidt, Rubin, Wallace et al? They already know it, too.

[Squinch]

11. Fuck him. Can't unring that bell, John.