Media Rage over Democrats’ Decision Not to Call Witnesses in Impeachment Trial

Members of the media criticized Senate Democrats for deciding Saturday not to call witnesses in former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial.

“It was a surprising twist in an already tumultuous trial, given that Democrats had asked to call witnesses earlier and the Senate passed the measure by a vote of 55 to 45,” Business Insider reported.

Writer and member of the board of contributors at USA Today Tom Nichols questioned why Democrats backed down, adding that “maybe Trump deserved another term, just to teach you a lesson”:

Democrats, you just got witnesses. You're going to fold? Honestly, maybe Trump deserved another term, just to teach you a lesson.

— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) February 13, 2021

Crooked Media co-founder Jon Favreau said it was “Not the end of the world, just dumb”:

Well, this was just dumb.

Congrats Democrats, all people will take away from this is that when Republicans went nuts over witnesses, you blinked.

Not the end of the world, just dumb. https://t.co/ZpxyYvuhxN

— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) February 13, 2021

Columnist David Weissman also expressed his displeasure regarding the decision:

What the fuck Democrats? No witnesses? I am angry as hell.

— David Weissman (@davidmweissman) February 13, 2021

TheBulwark.com publisher Sarah Longwell described it as “an embarrassment”:

What an embarrassment.

You have a REPUBLICAN CONGRESSWOMAN willing to testify that the President refused to call off the mob when asked by the Republican minority leader. You have Republican Senate votes for witnesses.

And you’re just gonna pass? https://t.co/Q3uwpZAvGj

— Sarah Longwell (@SarahLongwell25) February 13, 2021

Insider columnist Josh Barro tweeted that “the idea that ‘Dems folded and didn’t call witnesses’ is going to be the thing people remember about this episode even days from now is totally nuts, sorry”:

I realize we’re in the moment and whatever happened just now looms large but the idea that “Dems folded and didn’t call witnesses” is going to be the thing people remember about this episode even days from now is totally nuts, sorry.

— Josh Barro (@jbarro) February 13, 2021

Prior to the vote, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) said the Senate voting for additional witnesses turned the trial into a “total shit show,” adding that if Democrats wanted more witnesses, Republicans would drag out the trial, according to Breitbart News.

She also said, “If they want to drag this out, we’ll drag it out. They won’t get their noms, they won’t get anything.”

However, the Senate voted Saturday to acquit the former president of charges that he incited an insurrection at the Capitol on January 6.

“The Senate voted 57-43, meaning that the chamber failed to clear the 67-vote threshold necessary to convict Trump of the charge that he incited an insurrection on January 6, when Congress was certifying the 2020 presidential election,” Breitbart News reported.

In a statement to reporters, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said he did not believe President Joe Biden “wanted to go down the road of impeachment”:

.@tedcruz: "I don't think Joe Biden wanted to go down the road of impeachment. I don't think Schumer and most of the Democratic senators wanted to go down the road of impeachment.

The reason we're here is the hard-left hates Donald Trump."pic.twitter.com/1Z8hw6Ve48

— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) February 13, 2021

“I don’t think Schumer and most of the Democratic senators wanted to go down the road of impeachment. The reason we’re here is the hard-left hates Donald Trump and the House Democrats really reflect that hard partisan left. They drove the impeachment,” he concluded.