Jerry Nadler: Trump is a 'Dictator' - 'He Must Be Removed' - WATCH
Democratic House Judiciary chairman attacks president in closing impeachment arguments
© press
Democratic House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) has told the Senate that President Donald Trump is a "dictator" while demanding that "he must be removed from office."
Nadler made the radical accusation during President Trump’s impeachment trial on Friday
Impeachment "manager" Nadler warned the Senate that if it failed to remove Trump from office, the United States would be ruled by a “dictator.”
“He is a dictator,” Nadler declared during his closing arguments.
"This must not stand, and that is … another reason he (Trump) must be removed from office."
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO
© press
Nadler did not argue, as he did on the first day of the trial — before being rebuked by Chief Justice John Roberts — that Senators would be voting “against the United States” if they voted not to remove the president.
He did, however, say that a vote to acquit Trump would remove all constraints on his power.
Other members of the team of House impeachment managers similarly argued that voting to acquit Trump would give all future presidents “veto power” over Congress.
They did not explain what the outcome would be for the ability of future presidents to fulfill their functions if they had to submit to every request by Congress when controlled by the opposition.
"He is a dictator. This must not stand, and that is ... another reason he must be removed from office." House manager Jerry Nadler closed out his remarks this afternoon with some of the most fiery language that's been heard so far directed at Pres. Trump. https://t.co/AyIXUvwxIu pic.twitter.com/ygGzhb6geJ
— CNN (@CNN) January 24, 2020
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff is the lead manager.
The other managers include Nadler, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Colorado Rep. Jason Crow, Democratic Florida Rep. Val Demings, Democratic Texas Rep. Sylvia Garcia, and Democratic California Rep. Zoe Lofgren.
The seven impeachment managers’ roles are very much like the roles of prosecutors, as the members are responsible for presenting the impeachment inquiries to the Senate and making the case as to why Trump should be impeached with the evidence they have gathered.
© press
A group of Republican Senators held a press conference Wednesday afternoon to criticize Democrats for the way they have been handling the impeachment process against Trump.
“If I were the president I wouldn’t cooperate with these guys at all,” Sen. Lindsey Graham said at the press conference.
The South Carolina Senator was joined by Montana Sen. Steve Daines and Indiana Sen. Mike Braun.
The comments come as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made a change to a resolution Tuesday that will lengthen Trump’s impeachment trial in the Senate by at least one day.
The altered resolution will give both sides 24 hours to argue their case over three trial days instead of two as originally planned.
Senators would then be given 16 hours for questioning.
The schedule would mean a break from the previously scheduled 12-hour days of argument in the Senate.
The impeachment trial could be over before Trump’s scheduled State of the Union address, on Feb. 4.
The House of Representatives officially voted Jan. 15 to send the articles of impeachment against Trump to the Senate and approved the House’s impeachment managers.
