Former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial begins in just days. And the country waits to see if the Senate will vote to convict the country’s recent Commander-in-Chief.
Currently, it doesn’t appear as if those favoring impeachment have the necessary votes. But Democrats continue to push for more punishment after the House already voted to impeach.
And in preparation for the trial, they’ve invited Trump to testify.
They want the former President to respond to the allegations: that he helped incite the mob that descended on Washington D.C. buildings on January 6.
Trump has already officially replied to the accusations, and he has stoically maintained his innocence. On top of that, his allies will point to evidence of Trump condemning the violence.
But obviously, Democrats want Trump to respond in a court of law.
They’re likely to be disappointed in his response, however, as Trump and his lawyers didn’t hold back in their fiery reply. Via The Daily Wire:
Former President Donald Trump turned down an offer from Democrats to testify at his upcoming impeachment trial in the Senate, blasting the offer as a ‘public relations stunt.’
The lead impeachment manager for the House, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) issued the invitation on Thursday.
And it didn’t take long for Trump attorneys Bruce Castor and David Schoen to respond. In fact, they replied in a matter of hours:
We are in receipt of your latest public relations stunt. As you certainly know, there is no such thing as a negative inference in this unconstitutional proceeding.
Your letter only confirms what is known to everyone: you cannot prove your allegations against the 45th President of the United States, who is now a private citizen.
Prior to this, Raskin had threatened Trump that refusing to testify would be like an admission to guilt.
Specifically, he said it would be a “strong adverse inference regarding your actions (and inaction) on January 6, 2021.”
Other Democrats have also called out Trump’s refusal to testify, saying it basically proves their argument. If the former President isn’t willing to defend himself, that speaks volumes.
Or so they believe. Republicans, on the other hand, continue to support the former POTUS.
Many have said the impeachment trial is unconstitutional because Trump is already out of office, and 45 GOP Senators have voted to dismiss the impeachment article.
This includes Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who initially appeared to be on the fence. But now he’s rejecting the Democrat push.
The only Republicans who have voted to proceed are Mitt Romney (Utah), Susan Collins (Maine), Ben Sasse (Nebraska), Pat Toomey (Pennsylvania), and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska).
In the end, the Senate needs a 67-vote supermajority to convict Trump, and it just doesn’t look possible right now.
So Trump really might not need to testify, anyway. And he likely isn’t the only one to call the idea a “publicity stunt,” either.