Senators like to float above messy politics in whatB次元官网网址檚 known by some as the dignified B次元官网网址渦pper chamber,B次元官网网址� home of CongressB次元官网网址� cooler heads and lofty rhetoric.
But as a court of President Donald TrumpB次元官网网址檚 impeachment, the Senate beginning Tuesday might seem more like the economy cabin of an oversold flight on an especially tense, mandatory work trip.
Rock star legal teams will cram the airy well of the chamber just a few feet from each other and Chief Justice John Roberts. Four television screens take up rarified space. Staff will snap up seats near the wall. A podium stands at the centre aisle.
As for phones, itB次元官网网址檚 worse than airplane mode: They are banned from the chamber. That maroons 100 chatty senators B次元官网网址� including four Democrats in the heat of a nomination fight B次元官网网址� for the serious constitutional business of the impeachment trial, for hours at a time.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 going to be stuck in Washington for God knows how long,B次元官网网址� Sen. Bernie Sanders told supporters in Des Moines Monday night.
What B次元官网网址� and whom B次元官网网址� to watch when the trial gets underway around 1 p.m. EST Tuesday:
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GROUND RULES
But first, naturally, some talk from senators.
The Senate opens with debate on the structure and rules of the proceedings. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is proposing a condensed, two-day calendar for opening arguments on the articles passed by the House on Dec. 18. They charge Trump with abusing power by pressuring Ukraine to help him politically, and obstructing Congress when it tried to find out what happened.
McConnellB次元官网网址檚 ground rules are outlined in a four-page resolution that must be voted on as one of the first orders of business. It pushes off any votes on witnesses until later in the process, rather than up front, as Democrats had demanded. But McConnellB次元官网网址檚 plan on witnesses lines up with the organizing resolution that set the structure of President Bill ClintonB次元官网网址檚 trial in 1999.
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DRAWING THE CURTAIN
B次元官网网址淎t all times,B次元官网网址� according to Senate rules, a majority of senators present can vote to close the proceedings and debate in private. That would mean the cameras shut off and everyone whoB次元官网网址檚 not a member of the Senate kicked out of the chamber until the senators choose to reopen it.
Senators did that at various points during the Clinton trial. McConnell then argued that members of the chamber listen to each other better in private.
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MARATHON SESSIONS
McConnell, defending his GOP majority and up for reelection himself, wants to make this trial go quickly. HeB次元官网网址檚 proposed a compressed schedule with long days.
After the four days of opening arguments B次元官网网址� maximum 24 hours per side B次元官网网址� senators will be allowed up to 16 hours for questions to the prosecution and defence, followed by four hours of debate. Only then will there be votes on calling other witnesses.
Senate rules say the trial must proceed six days a week B次元官网网址� all but Sunday B次元官网网址� until it is resolved.
ThereB次元官网网址檚 some question about whether itB次元官网网址檚 finished by Feb. 4, the day of TrumpB次元官网网址檚 State of the Union speech. White House officials say that appointment remains, as of now. Trump can ask the House to postpone it.
But here again, thereB次元官网网址檚 precedent for Trump to consider: Clinton delivered his State of the Union speech in the midst of his Senate trial. He wasnB次元官网网址檛 running for reelection, however, as Trump is.
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OFF THE TRAIL, OFF THE GRID
Watch a coterie of Democratic senators who literally would rather be somewhere else B次元官网网址� specifically Iowa and New Hampshire B次元官网网址� ahead of their partyB次元官网网址檚 kickoff votes for the right to try to unseat Trump in the November election.
Watch Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Michael Bennet of Colorado and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota for signs of fatigue from flying between Washington and these places and coping with being off the internet for hours at a time.
Also look for the surrogates, video calls to supporters and ads designed to give them a measure of presence in the early nominating states.
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THE PROSECUTORS
They could be heard practicing speeches in the shuttered Senate chamber late into Monday night.
Leading the case for the House is Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff of Californian and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler of New York. Five other Democrats round out the prosecution team, a group House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she chose in part for their experience with the law.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., has worked on three impeachment inquiries, starting with the one that helped persuade President Richard Nixon to resign. Rep. Val Demings of Florida is not a lawyer, but she is a former police chief and a member of both committees deeply familiar with the case against Trump. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries is a lawyer and chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, so heB次元官网网址檚 close to PelosiB次元官网网址檚 ranks.
Pelosi also chose two freshmen who helped flip the House from GOP control in 2018. Rep. Sylvia Garcia of Texas is a former judge. And Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado is a retired Army Ranger who was one of the seven new members with national security backgrounds to call for TrumpB次元官网网址檚 impeachment over his conduct with Ukraine.
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FOR THE PRESIDENT
Trump cast some big personalities for seats at the defence table.
White House counsel Pat Cipollone and personal lawyer Jay Sekulow are expected to lead the argument that Trump committed no crimes, that abuse of power is not an impeachable offence and that the president is a victim of a political B次元官网网址渨itch huntB次元官网网址� by Democrats.
Bringing experience both in constitutional law and the politics of impeachment, heB次元官网网址檚 adding retired law professor Alan Dershowitz and Ken Starr, the independent counsel who investigated Clinton. The team also will include Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general.
The team, less experienced in the Senate than the House prosecutors as a whole, visited the Senate chamber Monday, in part to test the equipment they expect to use for audio-visual presentations.
Look for signs of tension involving the presidentB次元官网网址檚 outside legal team and lawyers within the White House. Dershowitz on Sunday tried to distance himself from the president.
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THE NUMBERS
100: The total number of senators.
53: The Republican majority.
51: The number of senators who must agree on almost anything to make it happen during an impeachment trial.
Four: The number of Republican senators who must join Democrats to get to the magical 51.
2/3: The proportion of senators required to convict and remove a president from office. So 67 members of the Senate would have to vote to convict if every senator is voting.
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THE GANG
Both sides will be keeping tabs on the SenateB次元官网网址檚 moderates for an emerging gang of three to four who could influence the outcome on such matters as whether to subpoena former national security adviser John Bolton. That vote wonB次元官网网址檛 be taken for days if not weeks.
Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine has been meeting with a small number of GOP colleagues who want to consider witness testimony and documents that werenB次元官网网址檛 part of the House impeachment investigation. Watch GOP Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah, Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska for signs of whether this group can stick together and force the Senate to consider additional material.
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Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.
Laurie Kellman, The Associated Press
