On Monday, the network morning shows seized on laughable Democratic spin accusing Senate Republicans of “failing to be impartial jurors” in the upcoming impeachment trial of President Trump. This from the same media that hasn’t expressed any concern over Democratic senators running for president while presiding over the impeachment of the Republican incumbent they’re vying to replace.
“Democrats accusing Senate Republicans of failing to be impartial jurors, after McConnell said last week he is working in total coordination with the White House,” correspondent Kristen Welker proclaimed on NBC’s Today show. A soundbite followed of Democratic House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler ranting: “It’s a complete subversion of the constitutional scheme.”
Welker fretted: “Even though senators will take an oath to do impartial justice, President Trump’s Republican allies are defending him.”
After clips ran of Republican senators Lindsey Graham and Rand Paul rejecting the impeachment push, the reporter argued liberal lawmakers were just doing their job: “Even with the Republican-led Senate likely to acquit the President, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff says Democrats will have done their constitutional duty, regardless of the outcome.”
Earlier in the report, Welker tried to frame the Senate trial in Democratic terms: “Minority Leader Chuck Schumer laying out a plan for what he considers a fair trial if impeachment does occur.”
On ABC’s Good Morning America, congressional correspondent Mary Bruce lamented: “Even before the House votes on impeachment, Republicans are promising it’s not going anywhere in the Senate.” Following soundbites of GOP senators Graham and Ted Cruz, Bruce feared: “The top Republican in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, is all but guaranteeing to acquit, promising, quote, ‘total coordination with the White House.’ Democrats are outraged.”
A longer clip was featured of Nadler complaining to host George Stepahanopoulos on Sunday’s This Week:
Here you have the Majority Leader of the Senate, in effect, the foreman of the jury, saying he’s going to work hand in glove with the defense attorney. Now, that’s a violation of the oath that they’re about to take and it’s a complete subversion of the constitutional scheme.
Bruce then promoted: “Trying to force Republicans to the negotiating table, Democrats have released their own plan for a trial.”
“Senate Republicans ready to defend the President are signaling they’d prefer a speedy trial with no new witnesses,” correspondent Nancy Cordes warned on CBS This Morning. She then touted: “Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer sent a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell last night, detailing the witnesses and time line Senate Democrats want to see.”
After noting that “McConnell and the White House are coordinating on strategy,” Cordes hyped how “Democrats accused McConnell of violating his duty to serve as an impartial juror.”
Unlike her colleagues on NBC and ABC, Cordes at least briefly mentioned the fact that “Republicans argued it’s the House process that was unfair.”
Amazingly, none of the network broadcasts raised the issue that several Democratic senators running for president have already judged Trump guilty while on the campaign trail. During her final debate in November, before dropping out of the 2020 race, California Senator Kamala Harris declared “we have a criminal living in the White House.” Rather than challenge it, the networks cheered the rhetoric.
That same day, CBS This Morning worried that 2020 Democrats would get “stuck” in D.C. for the Senate trial and absurdly bemoaned: “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.”
On December 8, GMA actually touted the upcoming impeachment trial as a chance for Democratic contenders to shine.
Apparently political bias only matters to reporters when Republicans are expressing their point of view.
Here is a transcript of the December 16 report on NBC’s Today show:
7:06 AM ET
(...)
KRISTEN WELKER: Also overnight, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer laying out a plan for what he considers a fair trial if impeachment does occur. Calling on issuing more subpoenas and days of new witness testimony, including that of Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and former National Security Advisor John Bolton. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office responding the two would discuss the contours of a trial soon.
Democrats accusing Senate Republicans of failing to be impartial jurors, after McConnell said last week he is working in total coordination with the White House.
REP. JERRY NADLER [D-NY, HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN]: It’s a complete subversion of the constitutional scheme.
WELKER: Even though senators will take an oath to do impartial justice, President Trump’s Republican allies are defending him.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM [R-SC]: I clearly made up my mind. I am not trying to hide the fact that I have disdain for the accusations and the process.
WELKER: Senator Lindsey Graham’s GOP colleagues echoing him.
SEN. RAND PAUL [R-KY]: We’re going to hear the evidence repeated, but we’re not going to see any new evidence.
WELKER: Even with the Republican-led Senate likely to acquit the President, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff says Democrats will have done their constitutional duty, regardless of the outcome.
REP. ADAM SCHIFF [D-CA, HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN]: It’s not a failure in the sense of our constitutional duty in the House.
(...)
Here is a transcript of the report on ABC’s GMA:
7:04 AM ET
(...)
MARY BRUCE: As impeachment is now heading to a trial in the Republican-controlled Senate, the President will be on friendlier turf, but this morning here on the Hill, the partisan battle lines are already being drawn.
Even before the House votes on impeachment, Republicans are promising it’s not going anywhere in the Senate.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM [R-SC]: I want to end it. I don’t want to legitimize it. I hate what they’re doing.
SEN. TED CRUZ [R-TX]: We’re going to have fair proceedings and then it’s not going anywhere because the facts aren’t there.
BRUCE: The top Republican in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, is all but guaranteeing to acquit, promising, quote, “total coordination with the White House.” Democrats are outraged.
REP. JERRY NADLER [D-NY, HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN]: Here you have the Majority Leader of the Senate, in effect, the foreman of the jury, saying he’s going to work hand in glove with the defense attorney. Now, that’s a violation of the oath that they’re about to take and it’s a complete subversion of the constitutional scheme.
BRUCE: Trying to force Republicans to the negotiating table, Democrats have released their own plan for a trial. Asking for four witnesses the White House prevented from testifying in the House, including Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and former Trump National Security Advisor John Bolton.
SEN. CHRIS COONS [D-DE]: Majority Leader McConnell needs to sit down with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and negotiate over exactly what the terms of this trial will be. The American people deserve the truth, not political theater.
BRUCE: Even if the possess is dead on arrival in the Senate, Democrats in the House are standing by their decision.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: If President Trump is overwhelmingly acquitted in the Senate, is that failure?
REP. ADAM SCHIFF [D-CA, HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN]: No, it isn’t a failure, at least it’s not a failure in the sense of our constitutional duty in the House.
(...)
Here is a transcript of the report on CBS This Morning:
7:06 AM ET
(...)
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM: I think this whole thing is a crock.
NANCY CORDES: Senate Republicans ready to defend the President are signaling they’d prefer a speedy trial with no new witnesses.
GRAHAM: I am ready to vote on the underlying articles.
CORDES: But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer sent a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell last night, detailing the witnesses and time line Senate Democrats want to see. He proposes that Chief Justice John Roberts, who will preside over the trial, issue subpoenas to four administration officials, including Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and former National Security Advisor John Bolton, who were both asked to testify in the House impeachment inquiry but did not appear.
In a statement, McConnell’s office responded that the Majority Leader “has made it clear that he plans to meet with Leader Schumer to discuss the contours of a trial soon.”
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL [R-KY, SENATE MAJORITY LEADER]: I’m going to coordinate with the President’s lawyers.
CORDES: McConnell and the White House are coordinating on strategy.
PAM BONDI [SPECIAL ADVISER TO PRESIDENT TRUMP]: We wouldn’t be doing our job if we weren’t working hand in hand with the Senate to clear the President of this charade, this sham.
CORDES: On Sunday, Democrats accused McConnell of violating his duty to serve as an impartial juror.
REP. JERRY NADLER [D-NY, HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN]: Here you have the Senate, in effect, the foreman of the jury, saying he’s going to work hand in glove with the defense attorney. Now that’s a violation of the oath that they’re about to take and it’s a complete subversion of the constitutional scheme.
CORDES: Republicans argued it’s the House process that was unfair.
SEN. TED CRUZ [R-TX]: I think this is the beginning of the end for this show trial that we’ve seen in the House.
(...)
