Following a Thursday report pushing Democratic Party concerns about Senate Republicans having lunch at the White House to discuss impeachment, CBS White House correspondent Ben Tracy shared additional concerns that an impeachment trial in the Senate could keep Democratic candidates off the campaign trail. But the larger problem that didn’t seem to cross his mind, was the fact that President Trump’s 2020 opponents would be voting to remove him from office.
“Now, a trial in the Senate could start in early January, possibly lasting several weeks. That means it could run right up against the early caucuses and primaries,” Tracy cautioned as he wrapped his report on the CBS Evening News. “And, Norah, that could cause a big problem for the President's Democratic rivals, who are also Senators, who would be stuck here in D.C.”
That fretting came moments after boosting Democratic whining about Trump inviting GOP Senators to the White House for lunch:
TRACY: Democrats in the Senate cried foul. Connecticut's Richard Blumenthal said Republicans will be jurors and should not be discussing impeachment with the President at all.
SENATOR RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): His agenda's pretty clear. He's trying to taint the jury pool, and they should be above it.
TRACY: This, as it appears House Democrats are moving closer to impeach Mr. Trump.
He also appeared surprised that “Republican leaders in the White House plan to put on a full trial in the Senate. They want the President to mount a public defense, rather than force a quick vote to dismiss the charges.”
While Tracy and CBS where pushing Democratic complaints about a conflict of interest, there was no mention of the fact that there were currently six Democratic Senators (Michael Bennet of Colorado, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kamala Harris of California, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts) running for president that would be jurors voting to remove their principal opponent from office.
That’s not to mention Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (HI), who would be voting on impeachment in the House. Then, there were those like Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) and Congressman Eric Swalwell (CA) who had 2020 campaigns and had dropped out of the race.
Their conflict of interest was a major question the liberal media had been intentionally avoiding because scrutiny would put pressure on those Senators to recuse themselves from the trial. But the real concern for those Democrats, according to Tracy and CBS, was maintaining their ability to campaign against Trump.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CBS Evening News
November 21, 2019
6:35:51 p.m. EasternNORAH O’DONNELL: As the impeachment battle rages in the House, President Trump had key Republican Senators over for lunch, this as we get new details tonight about what a Senate trial of the President might look like. Ben Tracy is at the White House.
[Cuts to video]
BEN TRACY: CBS News has learned if Democrats do impeach the President in the House, Republican leaders in the White House plan to put on a full trial in the Senate. They want the President to mount a public defense, rather than force a quick vote to dismiss the charges.
Even so, the President hedged his bets today, hosting several GOP Senators at the White House for lunch and to talk impeachment, among them, Utah's Mitt Romney and Maine's Susan Collins. Both have been critical of the President and he doesn't was any defections if it comes to a Senate trial.
SEN. MITT ROMNEY (R-UT): This remains deeply troubling.
TRACY: Last month, Romney's critiques prompted want President to call him a “pompous ass” and argue Republicans are not as united as Democrats.
(…)
TRACY: After the lunch, Romney said their contentious relationship did not come up. Democrats in the Senate cried foul. Connecticut's Richard Blumenthal said Republicans will be jurors and should not be discussing impeachment with the President at all.
SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): His agenda's pretty clear. He's trying to taint the jury pool, and they should be above it.
TRACY: This, as it appears House Democrats are moving closer to impeach Mr. Trump. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi today:
SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): And the evidence is clear that the President, the President has used his office for his own personal gain, and in doing so, undermined the national security of the United States. [Transition] He has violated his oath of office.
[Cuts back to live]
TRACY: Now, a trial in the Senate could start in early January, possibly lasting several weeks. That means it could run right up against the early caucuses and primaries. And, Norah, that could cause a big problem for the President's Democratic rivals, who are also Senators, who would be stuck here in D.C.
O’DONNELL: All right, Ben, thank you.
