Last Call For Trial Of The Century 2.0

If I'm reading this right, GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham is warning Democrats not to call a single witness in Donald Trump's second impeachment trial, because if they do, he'll make sure that the FBI is also called and that they will present weeks of testimony about how the January 6th attack on the US Capitol was completely premeditated by Trump's cultists (but somehow this will clear Trump's name).

 

Graham told Fox News’ Trey Gowdy on Monday that a “Pandora’s box” and “a can of worms” would be opened if just one witness was brought forward in the Senate trial of Trump, set to begin next week.

The House last month impeached Trump over the violence that left five people dead.

Graham, a former fierce critic of Trump who after the 2016 election became one of his most loyal defenders, warned that calling witnesses could mean a monthslong trial “and that would be bad for the country.” Graham and other Republicans have argued it is time to “move on” from the insurrection for the good of the U.S.

“If you open up that can of worms (by calling witnesses), we’ll want the FBI to come in and tell us about how people actually pre-planned these attacks and what happened with the security footprint at the Capitol,” the South Carolina Republican continued, parroting a right-wing talking point that the attack was planned well before Trump urged his supporters at a pre-riot rally to march to the Capitol.

Graham did not mention that Trump ― even before the election ― whipped his supporters into a lie-fueled frenzy about voter fraud.

“You open up Pandora’s box if you call one witness,” Graham said. “I hope we don’t call any and we vote and get this trial over next week when it starts.”

 

I again admit to being genuinely confused by this defense strategy. If indeed the plan by Graham is to have the FBI come in and spell out how the January 6th attack was planned weeks in advance, it'll only take one major witness to then say "and yes, Donald Trump was part of this from the beginning" and he's toast.

It's like the defense laying out a RICO case by showing there was indeed a conspiracy, but then saying "Well the mafia don didn't have anything to do with it" and half of the jurors are made mobsters saying "I don't see anything wrong here."

Yes, there's a 99% chance Trump will be acquitted anyway, because the same GOP enablers are afraid that Trump's domestic terrorist cult will show up and empty both barrels into their faces and their families.

But it still has to be done.