Sen. Patrick Leahy To Preside Over Trump's Senate Impeachment Trial

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

Tweet text:
NPR
@NPR
Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, the president pro tempore of the Senate, will preside over the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, a source tells NPR.

Sen. Patrick Leahy To Preside Over Trump's Senate Impeachment Trial
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts will not take on the role for the trial that begins the week of Feb. 8, a source says. A chief justice presides only when a sitting president is on trial.
npr.org

https://www.npr.org/2021/01/25/960389715/sen-patrick-leahy-to-preside-over-trumps-senate-impeachment-trial

[Bayard]

1. Will it change anything?

I bet evidence will be presented this time.

[FBaggins]

3. It might

Senators can overrule the rulings of the presiding officer and, in a 50/50 senate (and some question re: whether the VP can vote in all cases) that might be in play. The initial rulings from the chair might be different between Roberts and Leahy.

[DonaldsRump]

2. I wish they had picked Amy Klobuchar

She is uniformly excellent and no-nonsense. Nothing against Senator Leahy, but I think Senator Klobuchar would have been the better choice.

[SunStar]

5. The tweet puts the emphasis in the wrong place

The president pro tempore of the Senate will preside. That happens to be Senator Leahy.

Roberts refusing to do his job and preside is a problem that they're solving by punting it to the only constitutional leadership role in the Senate that is a member of the legislative branch. It's an attempt to maintain legitimacy of the proceedings.

[MacKasey]

4. I like Amy but she is too close to Biden

Don't want to give something for Republicans to whine about

Keeps Biden clear of prosecuting a rivel, his hands are clean

Senator Leahy will come across as non partison

[Mike 03]

6. Agree.

Not an exact analogy, but it's the difference between having Chuck Grassley preside over a hearing vs a Mike Lee, Ted Cruz or a Rand Paul.

The older senators have a certain gravitas. They represent a time when things were different. And they are beyond immediate political aspirations (i.e., at that age they can 'take it or leave it') with no ambition to be president.

[MacKasey]

7. And Leahy has been in Batman movies

[ffr]

8. This is encouraging. Maybe this time, ALL the crimes can be presentented

instead of that candy-ass way some things were off limits BULLSHIT!