Florida Republican Matt Gaetz is arguably the president’s staunchest ally in the House of Representatives. However, their relationship hit a rough patch after Gaetz voted with Democrats on a non-binding resolution to curb Trump’s power to take military action against Iran (RELATED: Gaetz Explains Why He Sided With Democrats Over Trump).
Now, the stalwart conservative lawmaker is critical of the way the president’s legal team has presented their case in the impeachment trial.
In an interview with Politico, Gaetz said the Democrats made their case as if it was a well-choreographed cable news appearance while commending their utilization of multimedia to proliferate their message.
Trump’s defense team looked like “an 8th-grade book report,” Gaetz retorted before adding, “Actually, no, I take that back,” explaining that the typical 8th grader would know how to incorporate PowerPoint and iPads into a class presentation.
A handful of other Republicans begrudgingly complimented the Democrats’ tactics. (Business Insider)
Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana told reporters during the first day of the prosecution’s opening arguments that the evidence itself was news to many senators.
“Nine out of ten senators will tell you they haven’t read a full transcript of the proceedings in the House,” Kennedy said. “And the tenth senator who says he has is lying.”
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On Thursday, the impeachment managers began laying the constitutional groundwork that they said supports Trump’s impeachment and removal from office.
Arguments began at 1 p.m. ET and are expected to go until roughly 9:45 p.m. ET. Democrats will get one more day to make opening arguments, after which Trump’s defense will get their chance to mount a rebuttal.