You can be sure, if Republicans were holding an impeachment trial of a Democratic president, during an election year, the liberal media would be demanding every GOP senator running against the president recuse themselves from the proceedings. But with five Democratic senators still in the 2020 race, the conflict of interest was almost never mentioned. ABC came close on Sunday, but chief anchor George Stephanopoulos argued that the trial would be a time for them to shine.
During a report on the state of the Democratic race for Good Morning America, ABC correspondent Rachel Scott noted that “some of the candidates now bracing to be pulled away during a pivotal stretch, as Democrats in the House turn up the heat on the impeachment investigation.”
Scott came very close to acknowledging the obvious conflict of interest some of the Democrats in the Senate had when it came to impeachment. “Of the 15 candidates running for president, five would serve as jurors in a possible trial in the Senate of the president they are hoping to defeat,” she noted. She then played soundbites of three them trying to assure people they would take “no joy” in the process and claim they would be “objective” jurors:
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): I take no joy in this but this is about a constitutional oath.
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MS): That means doing my duty for the country by being at that trial. But also getting back and forth. Especially in the early states.
SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): I'm going to take an oath to be an objective juror.
A couple of minutes later, co-host Dan Harris broached the subject with Stephanopoulos. “Five presidential candidates who will be pulled off the trail to sit in the Senate as jurors and it's going to suck up a lot of attention – continue to suck up a lot of attention, which might otherwise fractionally go to Democrats running for president,” he seemed to whine. “So, is a Senate trial potentially quite bad for the Democratic presidential hopefuls?”
According to Stephanopoulos, it all “depends which Democrats you're talking about,” because “I'm not sure that lack of attention hurts the overall field.”
One of his considerations was “for the Senators who will have to be jurors.” He surmised that “they can use that as a moment to show their qualifications, to show their skill. It won't necessarily hurt them but it's clearly something that they're all going to have to factor into their strategies.”
His other argument suggested that all the attention going to impeachment would be helpful to Democrats because it would take media attention away from their problems. “Sometimes when there's a lot of scrutiny, it can actually – it’s one thing we've seen. Whoever has gotten into the spotlight has tended to hit a wall…” he posed.
He then pointed out that with the trial pulling people off the campaign trail, it could help those not in the Senate, such as South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg and former Vice President Joe Biden.
The obvious conflict of interest of having candidates vote their completion out of office was the 800lbs gorilla in the room and liberal media refused to address it.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s Good Morning America
December 8, 2019
8:08:45 a.m. Eastern(…)
RACHEL SCOTT: Out on the campaign trail, some of the candidates now bracing to be pulled away during a pivotal stretch, as Democrats in the House turn up the heat on the impeachment investigation. Of the 15 candidates running for president, five would serve as jurors in a possible trial in the Senate of the president they are hoping to defeat.
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): I take no joy in this but this is about a constitutional oath.
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MS): That means doing my duty for the country by being at that trial. But also getting back and forth. Especially in the early states.
SEN. CORY BOOKER (D-NJ): I'm going to take an oath to be an objective juror.
(…)
8:10:58 a.m. Eastern
DAN HARRIS: Let's -- Speaking of the Democrats running for president, let’s talk another thing Rachel brought up, which is, if this impeachment process goes to a trial in the Senate, there are going to be many -- five presidential candidates who will be pulled off the trail to sit in the Senate as jurors and it's going to suck up a lot of attention – continue to suck up a lot of attention, which might otherwise fractionally go to Democrats running for president. So, is a Senate trial potentially quite bad for the Democratic presidential hopefuls?
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: It depends which Democrats you're talking about. First of all, I'm not sure that lack of attention hurts the overall field. Sometimes when there's a lot of scrutiny, it can actually – it’s one thing we've seen. Whoever has gotten into the spotlight has tended to hit a wall, whether it's Elizabeth Warren who was doing quite well and then hit that, or Joe Biden being the frontrunner from the start.
But if you look at the fact of the Senate trial almost certain to be coming up, could it help Pete Buttigieg and Joe Biden who can be in Iowa and won't be jurors in that Senate trial. For the Senators who will have to be jurors, maybe they can use that as a moment to show their qualifications, to show their skill. It won't necessarily hurt them but it's clearly something that they're all going to have to factor into their strategies.
HARRIS: Yes, this is four-dimensional chess.
(…)
