Schumer Opposed Witness Testimony During Clinton Impeachment, But Demands It For Trump Sham Trial

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is demanding that current and former Trump administration officials testify in the coming impeachment trial of President Trump, but he said before the trial of Bill Clinton that no witnesses were needed. 

“It seems to me that no good case has been made for witnesses,” Schumer said at a press conference on Jan. 27, 1999, ahead of the trail for the former president, who committed perjury. “I wonder if the House managers aren’t a little more interested in political theater than in actually getting to the bottom of the facts,” he said a few days later.

In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Sunday, Schumer set out the guidelines for a weeks-long trial in the Senate, including a list of witnesses Democrats want to call.

 

“I propose, pursuant to our rules, that the Chief Justice on behalf of the Senate issue subpoenas for testimony by the following witnesses with direct knowledge of Administration decisions regarding the delay in security assistance funds to the government of Ukraine and the requests for certain investigations to be announced by the government of Ukraine: Robert Blair, Senior Advisor to the Acting White House Chief of Staff; Mick Mulvaney, Acting White House Chief of Staff; John Bolton, former National Security Advisor; and Michael Duffey, Associate Director for National Security, Office of Management and Budget.”

And he added: “In the trial of President Clinton, the House Managers were permitted to call witnesses, and it is clear that the Senate should hear testimony of witnesses in this trial as well.”

Schumer said the four witnesses he wants to called were all asked to testify in the House impeachment inquiry.

“We would of course be open to hearing the testimony of additional witnesses having direct knowledge of the Administration’s decisions regarding the delay in security assistance funds to the government of Ukraine and the requests for certain investigations to be announced by the government of Ukraine, if the President’s counsel or House Managers identify such witnesses,” he said.

Schumer also said also said witness testimony time should “be limited to not more than four hours” for House Managers and “not more than four hours for the President’s counsel.”