Monday was the final day of the Senate’s impeachment trial before Wednesday’s likely acquittal of President Trump. As such, the Democratic impeachment managers were pulling out all the stops, putting out every argument they had no matter how crazy. One claim by Congressman Adam Schiff (CA) suggested if they didn’t remove Trump from office, he might sell Alaska back to Russia. Despite his unhinged accusation, the broadcast networks touted his “warning” to Republicans.
This was the portion of Schiff’s off-the-wall rant the networks didn’t want to tell their viewers about:
[President Trump] could offer Alaska to the Russians in exchange for support in the next election or decide to move to Mar-a-Lago permanently and leave Jared Kushner to run the country, delegating to him the decision whether they go to war.
Schiff further suggested that, according to the argument the President’s legal team had made, those things would not be considered impeachable.
But that’s not what the viewers of CBS Evening News saw. “The House impeachment managers closed the trial with a warning about President Trump,” reported chief congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes before playing this edited together soundbite of Schiff:
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): What are the odds, if left in office, that he will continue trying to cheat? I will tell you: 100 percent. [Transition] He is who he is. Truth matters little to him. What's right matters even less. [Transition] If you find that the House has proved its case and still vote to acquit, your name will be tied to his with a chord of steel and for all of history.
Cordes followed that up by seeming almost annoyed with the President’s legal team because they actually defended their client. “To the end, the President's legal team insisted he had done nothing wrong,” she said.
On ABC’s World News Tonight, senior congressional correspondent Mary Bruce reported that though Democrats were likely “heading towards defeat,” they were valiantly “on the Senate floor today with a final plea.”
“Urging Republicans to consider the lens of history, Chairman Adam Schiff with a pointed warning,” she touted. The Schiff-soundbite Bruce chose for her report was this one: “You can't trust this President to do the right thing. Not for one minute, not for one election, not for the sake of our country. You just can't. He will not change and you know it.”
Meanwhile, NBC Nightly News highlighted Schiff’s comments a bit more subtly, with chief White House correspondent Hallie Jackson noting: “For Democrats, an uphill climb, aiming their closing pitch at Republicans who say they don't like that President Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate his political rivals, but don't find it impeachable.” She then played a similar soundbite of Schiff.
In addition, partway through her report, Jackson showed off a clip of her seeming almost irked at Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) for still being undecided on whether or not to acquit the President. “You are still undecided on this? So, why,” she asked with a tone.
“Sincerely undecided,” Manchin explained. “Because there is a lot to be weighed here. There is a lot of consequences involved here.”
The transcripts are below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s World News Tonight
February 3, 2020
6:41:28 p.m. EasternDAVID MUIR: In the Capitol, today, closing arguments in the impeachment trial of President Trump. The Democrats begging Republicans to, quote, “do the right thing,” even in this late hour. While some Republicans made it clear they don't think what the President did was appropriate, but they say, it's not impeachable. Mary Bruce on the hill tonight.
[Cuts to video]
MARY BRUCE: Heading towards defeat, Democrats on the Senate floor today with a final plea.
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): All is not lost. Even at this late hour, the Senate can still do the right thing.
BRUCE: Urging Republicans to consider the lens of history, Chairman Adam Schiff with a pointed warning.
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): You can't trust this President to do the right thing. Not for one minute, not for one election, not for the sake of our country. You just can't. He will not change and you know it.
BRUCE: But the President's lawyers argued the decision should be up to the American people.
JAY SEKULOW: The answer is elections. Not impeachment.
BRUCE: They insist the President's effort to pressure Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden was completely appropriate.
PAT CIPOLLONE: The President has done nothing wrong.
(…)
CBS Evening News
February 3, 2020
6:41:31 p.m. EasternNORAH O’DONNELL: Tonight, at least one Senate Democrat says he's still not sure how he'll vote at President Trump's impeachment trial. West Virginia's Joe Manchin does say the President should at least be censured by the Senate. Well, today senators heard closing arguments in the case. And Nancy Cordes reports tonight from Capitol Hill.
[Cuts to video]
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): The Senate can still do the right thing.
NANCY CORDES: The House impeachment managers closed the trial with a warning about President Trump.
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): What are the odds, if left in office, that he will continue trying to cheat? I will tell you: 100 percent. [Transition] He is who he is. Truth matters little to him. What's right matters even less. [Transition] If you find that the House has proved its case and still vote to acquit, your name will be tied to his with a chord of steel and for all of history.
CORDES: The impeachment trial took up 82 hours on the Senate floor. To the end, the President's legal team insisted he had done nothing wrong.
MICHEAL PURPURA: The President did not condition security assistance or a meeting on anything.
PAT CIPOLLONE: The only appropriate result here is to acquit the President and the leave it to the voters to choose their President.
CORDES: It would take a two-thirds vote to remove the President from office, and most, if not all Republicans, are poised to acquit.
SEN. JIM INHOFE (R-OK): The enthusiasm with which the House managers have sought President Trump's removal is completely and inarguably divorced from reality in the heartland.
[Cuts back to live]
CORDES: Tonight, Republicans are urging this President not to gloat about his impending acquittal during his State of the Union address here on Capitol Hill tomorrow night. But privately, Norah, they acknowledge that it would be unlike him to stay silent.
O’DONNELL: All right, Nancy, thank you.
NBC Nightly News
February 3, 2020
7:04:08 p.m. EasternLESTER HOLT: All of this, of course, playing out as the impeachment trial goes on. Closing arguments by Democratic prosecutors and the President's defenders today as the Senate moves towards a likely acquittal vote on Wednesday. That will be a day after Tuesday's State of the Union address. Here's Hallie Jackson.
[Cuts to video]
HALLIE JACKSON: The final shot to sway senators tonight.
REP. JASON CROW (D-CO) How many falsehoods can we take?
JACKSON: For Democrats, an uphill climb, aiming their closing pitch at Republicans who say they don't like that President Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate his political rivals, but don't find it impeachable.
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): History will not be kind to Donald Trump. [Transition] If you find that the House has proved its case and still vote to acquit, your name will be tied to his with a cord of steel and for all of history.
JACKSON: But the President's defenders argue Democrats are overstepping.
JAY SEKULOW: These articles fail on their face as they do not meet the constitutional standard for impeachable offenses.
PAT CIPOLLONE: This is an effort to overturn the results of one election and to try to interfere in the coming election that begins today in Iowa.
JACKSON: Now, the focus turns to Wednesday's final vote. At this point, not so much a question of whether the President will be acquitted. That's all but certain given the Senate's Republican majority. But by how many votes and whether Democrats in states the President won, like West Virginia's Joe Manchin, will side with Republicans.
You are still undecided on this? So, why?
SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D-WV): Sincerely undecided. Because there is a lot to be weighed here. There is a lot of consequences involved here.
(…)
