Sometimes when prosecutors appeal to jurors to do their duty, it works. Other times, it backfires. For impeachment manager Jerry Nadler, it went up in flames. It turns out his condemnation of the senators during the Trump impeachment trial didn't just earn him an admonition from Chief Justice John Roberts. It may have cost him a swing vote.
During his remarks in the Senate on Tuesday night, Nadler alleged that any senator who voted against a measure to allow additional witnesses was guilty of a White House "cover up." It was an incendiary and outrageous claim that was soundly rejected by the next man at the podium, White House counsel Pat Cipollone. Cipollone turned to Nadler and said that if "anyone" in that room should be "embarrassed," he should look in the mirror.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), one of the moderate Republicans that the Democrats desperately needed to not tick off, also left the Senate chamber fuming over Nadler's presentation.
“I took it as very offensive. As one who is listening attentively and working hard to get to a fair process, I was offended,” swing-vote Lisa Murkowski said tonight of Nadler’s presentation last night and his accusation of a GOP coverup
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 23, 2020
Good luck getting her back in your good graces, chairman.
Other impeachment managers did a fine job of defeating themselves. The lead impeachment manager Adam Schiff kicked things off by canceling his argument when he suggested the Democrats have overwhelming proof that Trump is guilty...but they need more evidence.
This was before Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) confusingly explained to the room full of jurors that the House "did its job," but they still need to see and hear more evidence.
