Democratic Senators Blast Trump Testifying at Impeachment Trial as ‘Terrible Idea’: ‘Have You Met Donald Trump?’
Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) didn’t mince words when a reporter asked them what they thought about former President Donald Trump testifying at his impeachment trial later this month, bluntly calling it a “terrible idea” and “dog and pony show.”
News broke earlier on Thursday that Lead Impeachment Manager Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) had sent a letter to Trump requesting that he provide testimony under oath, either before or during the Senate impeachment trial, about his conduct on January 6.
Trump became the first president in American history to be impeached twice, with House Democrats joined by 10 Republicans voting in favor of impeachment for his role in inciting the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol Building.
NBC News reporter Frank Thorp quoted Coons discussing the idea of Trump testifying as the senator apparently was getting on an elevator.
As Thorp tweeted, Coons said, “I think it’s a terrible idea.”
Thorp asked why he thought that, Coons replied, “Have you met President Trump?” and then the elevator doors closed.
Sen COONS on the idea of former-Pres Trump testifying as a part of the Senate impeachment trial: “I think it’s a terrible idea.”
Q: Why?
COONS: “Have you met President Trump?”
*elevator doors close*
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) February 4, 2021
The same question was also posed to Manchin, who panned Trump’s potential testimony as something that would be “a dog and pony show.” When asked if he would support a subpoena, Manchin replied, “We’ll see.”
Sen Manchin says of the idea that Trump testifies before a Senate trial: “That’d be a dog and pony show.”
Says, “we’ll see,” on whether he would support a subpoena.
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) February 4, 2021
