House impeachment managers have closed the book on their first of their three days of opening arguments in the case against President Trump. And much of what you’d expect was said – as it repeats much of what Democrats have been saying for months.
Speaking in the Senate impeachment trial proceedings, Colorado Representative Jason Crow called it an "outright illegal hold" on military funds to Ukraine that were designed to help deter Russian
Crow said Ukraine aid from the U.S. constitutes 10% of their total military budget. Crow said Trump withheld the aid for so long that the government ran out of time to spend it and Congress had to pass a law to extend the deadline.
He argued the Office of Management and Budget attempted to hide the hold on the aid as part of the pressure campaign.
Of course, Mr. Trump was impeached for pushing Ukraine to investigate Democrats while delaying that military aid to Ukraine. And as California Democrat Adam Schiff called it, it was “a corrupt scheme designed to help Trump win re-election.” Schiff said Trump's "sham investigation" was aimed at getting dirt on former VP Joe Biden and Biden's son, Hunter.
As much as yesterday’s events were expected – there were a few moments of chaos. This, as Capitol Hill police arrested an unnamed protestor who unlawfully entered the Senate chambers. The man interrupted impeachment manager Hakeem Jeffries' presentation by yelling various anti-abortion phrases and shouted things such as "dismiss the trial of impeachment" and "Schumer is the devil." A spokesperson says the man will be charged with unlawful conduct and additional charges may be forthcoming.
Source: C-SPAN
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