House Managers Statement on Senate Blocking Witnesses and Documents

Statement

Today, the House Managers for the impeachment trial of President Donald J. Trump issued the following statement:

Senators just voted to make this the first impeachment trial in the history of the United States without witnesses and documents, which were blocked by President Trump during the inquiry.

The House Managers proved their case with a mountain of evidence, as some Republican Senators have acknowledged. And there is more direct evidence of the President's corrupt scheme only a subpoena away. But, at the President's urging, the Senate chose not to hear from people like John Bolton, knowing they would only add to the overwhelming evidence of the President's guilt.

The truth cannot be denied, not for long, and the facts will continue to come out as they did today. Senators who opposed hearing from these witnesses, when their testimony would have better informed a judgment on the guilt or innocence of the President, will be hard pressed to explain why.

Senators chose instead to set a dangerous precedent that will have long-lasting repercussions for the United States Congress, the balance of powers, and our democracy as a whole.