Lead impeachment manager Adam Schiff is doing some damage control on Wednesday. Damage that was done by his own colleague, fellow chairman and fellow impeachment manager Jerry Nadler. Late Tuesday night, as the Senate was debating (and rejecting) the amendments presented by Chuck Schumer, Nadler accused the GOP senators of breaking their constitutional oaths and of engaging in a White House "cover up."
"The only one who should be embarrassed, Mr. Nadler, is you for the way you’ve addressed this body,” White House lead counsel Pat Cipollone said in reply.
Pat Cipollone shuts down Jerry Nadler: “the only one who should be embarrassed, Mr. Nadler, is you” pic.twitter.com/6z0HtmK8Am
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) January 22, 2020
The back and forth was so tense that Chief Justice John Roberts had to admonish the teams and urge them to keep it civil.
"I wouldn’t have done that," Trump counsel Jay Sekulow said of Nadler's comments. "And then pointing that out on multiple times and talking to the United States Senate about their oath, I thought was a very dangerous move."
Perhaps that's why Schiff shielded Nadler from answering any reporters' questions on Wednesday.
.@mkraju: Mr. Nadler, the Republicans have been going —
— JM Rieger (@RiegerReport) January 22, 2020
ADAM SCHIFF: I’m going to respond to the questions.
RAJU: OK, well Mr. Nadler’s been criticized by Republicans, Mr. Schiff. pic.twitter.com/MSTeLSrUus
Trump's impeachment defense team recapped:
We are only 24 hrs into Dems’ flimsy impeachment case & already:
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) January 22, 2020
?? Jerry Nadler pulled from the lineup after accusing Senators (jurors!) of a cover-up.
??Schiff quickly throws Nadler under the bus b/c of his poor performance yesterday.
Dems clearly have a very weak case.
President Trump was unimpressed by Nadler's remarks too, calling him a "sleazebag" during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.