Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is calling for Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial to be suspended so Sen. Tommy Tuberville and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarty can be deposed under oath about phone conversations they had with former President Trump while his supporters ransacked the Capitol on Jan. 6.
“Looks like Trump’s BS-artist attorneys may have crossed the line from BS to something much more serious,” McCarthy tweeted referencing a report from CNN about McCarthy and Trump’s expletive laced shouting match on a phone call during the riot. “A review of Trump’s abominable lawyers in which the authors did not yet know about evident lies. Pretty damning stuff, even without that.”
CNN reported on Friday that McCarthy called Trump on Jan. 6 and pleaded neigh him to rein in his supporters overrunning the Capitol. Trump reported my told McCarthy that the people storming the Capitol cared more about the election than he did.
“Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are,” Trump said.
“Who the f–k do you think you are talking to?” McCarthy responded.
Trump’s also spoke with Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville on Jan. 6 around 2:15. Tuberville said he told Trump that Mike Pence was being evacuated from the Senate for safety reasons. By 2: 24 Trump sent a tweet attacking Pence for “lacking courage” to overturn the election.
During Friday’s arguments Trump lawyer Michael van see Veen dismissed the phone call as “hearsay”.
Tuberville defended his account of the call to reporters after the trial.
“[Sen. Lee] brought me the phone. It said ‘White House’ on it. I didn’t know who it was. Answered it, it was the president. He said a few things. I said, ‘Mr. president, they’ve taken the vice president out. They want me to get off the phone, I gotta go.’”
“I’m “probably the only guy in the world who hung up on the president of the United States,” Tuberville added.
“Trump’s lawyers are likely under ethics obligation to clean this up: duty of candor to a tribunal. You don’t get as counsel to make misrepresentations; if you do, you have an affirmative duty to clean it up. Tomorrow just got a lot more interesting,” Whitehouse tweeted.
“One way to clear it up? Suspend trial to depose McCarthy and Tuberville under oath and get facts. Ask Secret Service to produce for review comms back to White House re VP Pence safety during siege. What did Trump know, and when did he know it?,” he added.
Senate rules do not place a time limit on impeachment trials, and the presiding officer– Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt) –has the power to direct the proceedings and rule on all questions of evidence. He can also halt the trial for depositions if House impeachment managers request it.