Top Senate Republican John Thune called today’s presentation by the House impeachment managers “very effective” against Trump but a Fox News panel whined that it was more an effort to “enrage” against Trump than convict him.
Today’s Your World hosted two legal experts: Jonathan Turley, the lone defender of Trump in his first impeachment trial, and now Fox News contributor, and torture-memo author and former deputy attorney general for George W. Bush, John Yoo. Not mentioned? Yoo advised Trump on how to skirt law and rule by decree.
So it was no huge surprise that the two scornfully dismissed the harrowing video and the dots the Democrats connected to Trump as nothing that should be taken seriously.
Turley called the strategy “more of an effort to enrage than to convict.” He said that House is “focused on how [Trump’s] words were interpreted not how they were intended.”
Turley also complained about a lack of witness testimony. “If you’re really trying to convict, why you haven’t marshalled that testimony and so that you can present it the way you’re referring to New York Times or CNN statements, you could actually be using direct testimony.” As if the videos, audios and tweets are not compelling enough.
Cavuto noted that the video and audio showed Trump saying “some crazy stuff” and that “he really seemed not very presidential during all of that.” He thought “the power of that alone is enough to dissuade Americans from considering Donald Trump for any office in the future.”
Yoo called that “a great point." Then he agreed with Turley. “The House managers are not doing a good job of trying to present evidence for the charge which they made against Donald Trump which is incitement to insurrection.”
“They’re just throwing everything against the wall to show that Donald Trump is a bad man,” Yoo continued, “that Donald Trump tried to stop the certification of the election. What they haven’t been showing is, did Donald Trump actually say something that called for violence? Did Donald Trump actually think violence was imminent?” Yoo suggested Americans should decide at the ballot box whether or not Trump should run again, rather than barring him from running.
Cavuto said, “The Democrats are going for people’s hearts, emotions.” and that “maybe Democrats’ emotional pitch, on that level alone, is resonating more.”
Turley agreed and mentioned that he condemned Trump’s January 6 rally speech at the time. But he also plugged the Trump/Fox strategy, “There’s a lot of rhetoric that is likely to be played from Democrats that are part of this age of rage that show this same irresponsible language.”
Yoo did his part: “You want to show Donald Trump is the one who deliberately and knowingly threw the match onto the pile of wood or onto the gasoline and that’s where I think Democrats are not doing a good job.”
Cavuto and Turley had some criticism for Trump’s attorneys. Cavuto said they “didn’t inspire yesterday.” Turley added, “They have a great deal of room for improvement. … They need to have a clear narrative.”
By the way, Thune, the No. 2 Republican leader in the Senate, called the House prosecutors “very effective” and wouldn’t rule out convicting Trump.
You can watch the Fox/Trump defense team below, from the February 10, 2021 Your World.
As for throwing everything at the wall, I await the performance of the defense lawyers. Seems they intend to put together a mishmash of statements by Democrats … going back to the Dixicrat days, before those very same Dixicrat turned to the GOP.
First reaction: “two wrongs don’t make a right”,
Second reacton: “he did it, first!” is not acceptable excuse for misbehavin’. It amuses me when a toddler says it, but it dismays me when an adult does.