Friends -
Every day of the impeachment trial, Senator Murphy is writing a bit about his read of the day's events. He'll share his thoughts and insights and try to give some behind-the-scenes vignettes. He wants to make sure the trial is as transparent as possible.
Below are Senator Murphy's takeaways from the House managers' final day of opening arguments yesterday.
- Team Murphy
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A half an hour into testimony, I start feeling regret for working out this morning. For some reason, morning workouts make me more tired during the day. Today isn't a good day to be tired.
The cover-up is the early focus today. I know a lot about it because I was in the middle of it. I went to Ukraine in September, got briefed by the State Department, and no one told me about the quid pro quo. If it was legit policy, they wouldn't have hidden it from me.
Rep. Crow introduces more information about my meeting with Zelensky in their presentation -- this time it's my argument to Zelensky to stay out of American politics. Trump attacked me for this in the fall, saying that I, not him, was the one trying to corruptly influence Zelensky.
During breaks, my Senate colleagues want to know more about my trip to Ukraine. I tell them how impressive Zelensky is as a real reformer, and how tragic it is that at the exact moment we had a guy we could work with, we cut his legs off.
At the dinner break, I head over for an interview with MSNBC. But they don't put me on immediately and I panic, worrying that the trial will restart while I'm on the air (a definite no-no). I tug out my earpiece and rush back to the chamber.
During Schiff's closing, he references the Trump confidante who said GOP defectors would get their heads "on a pike". It's the first time the GOP audibly grumbles during the entire trial. But c'mon -- like it's totally implausible that one of Trump's sycophants would say that?
After Schiff wraps, I do a quick Anderson Cooper appearance, and then head back to my office to work on my questions for the trial managers. The trial may be 8 hours a day, but the work before and after takes just as long.
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