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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, “
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.”