Friday Short Cuts
Notable quotables from Candace Owens, Marsha Blackburn, Nancy Pelosi, and more.
Observations: “I’m so old I remember when the Democrats were shrieking for justice for the people of Iran, right up until the people of Iran began agreeing with Trump about their government’s corruption. Man, those were the days.” —Candace Owens
Upright: “One hundred United States Senators [have been] sworn in to serve in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. Four of those senators must recuse themselves for their unparalleled political interest in seeing this president removed from office.” —Rep. Marsha Blackburn
Yep: “Nothing says seriousness and sobriety like handing out souvenirs. As though this were a happy bill-signing instead of the gravest process in our Constitution.” —Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
Braying jenny: “I don’t know who’s the puppet, Trump or the attorney general.” —House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Innocent until proven guilty? “It’s not a question of saying what proof. It says what allegations have been made and that has to be subjected to scrutiny as to how we go forward, but it should not be ignored, and the context of other events that have happened that would substantiate some of that.” —Nancy Pelosi
Grand delusions: “I would argue that not only is this an impeachment trial but that the very integrity of the United States Senate is on trial. What is before us are charges that are arguably the most serious charges that have ever been leveled against a president of the United States.” —Sen. Kamala Harris
Well-timed political theater: “The GAO found that it was illegal — illegal — for President Trump to withhold military assistance from Ukraine to pressure them to interfere in the 2020 elections. Both the revelations about Mr. Parnas and the GAO opinion strengthen our push for witnesses and documents in the trial. The GAO opinion especially makes clear that the documents we requested in our letter to Leader McConnell are even more needed now than when we requested it last month. Because President Trump, simply put, broke the law.” —Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer
Dezinformatsiya: “Adam Schiff, the lead House impeachment manager, the chairman of the Intelligence Committee, was very somber, very serious. He read these two articles of impeachment — abuse of power by the president of the United States, obstruction of Congress by the president of the United States — repeatedly saying that the president of the United States engaged in high crimes and misdemeanors, which the U.S. Constitution says is the reason for a president potentially to be impeached and, if convicted in the Senate, removed from office.” —CNN’s Wolf Blitzer
And last… “Fact: Adam Schiff was first elected to congress to replace a Republican House Impeachment Manager. He began his career campaigning against rabid partisanship. Now he is the lead manager in the only partisan impeachment in history.” —Charlie Kirk