Wednesday, the day after the beginning of the Senate’s impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) argued yesterday’s effort by the House Democratic managers showed how weak the case they have brought is.
Braun told radio host Hugh Hewitt the case was not being brought as a case Democrats thought they could win on the merits but one that is playing out to sway the court of opinion with a national election on the horizon.
“Well, it’s ironic, because just watching some of the rehash of it, you know, calling the President a blustery carnival barker, maybe he was thinking of himself last night,” Braun said. “So I thought that was sad. I think it goes, Hugh, into how deep the dislike and/or hatred of the man is. And it shows the origins going way back. It’s playing itself out. All along, I read your piece about the, you know, gravity of how this plays into the future when it comes to impeachments, the presidency, executive privilege and all that, and I think those are points that are going to come out once we get further into the trial.”
“But I think what it showed yesterday is you’ve got a weak case, they’re litigating this to the public about the elections coming up knowing that they’re not going to win on the merits,” he continued. “And I think all of this played out, and especially with a guy like Jerry Nadler, where it showed how deep that resentment is. So…and I think whenever you look at something like this, you’ve got to look at the roots, the origins. And they’re always talking about the analogy to a trial. Of course, all of that would make that point of view questionable if you’re trying to call this a parallel to a trial. And this is a political process with elements of a trial. So here we are, all dressed up. It was 13 hours, and we made it through. And lucky I do go to bed late and get up early, and got up today without an alarm clock, so I’m ready to go again.”
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor