Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. tried to be neutral in presiding as a divided Senate judged Trump, but his refusal to intervene to allow witnesses vexed some.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. stood stiff and tight-lipped, no hint of a smile, as President Trump stopped to shake hands Tuesday evening in the House chamber, just prior to his State of the Union address.
“The American people wanted a fair trial, but — denied the testimony of firsthand witnesses and the evidence of still-blocked documents — the Republican-led Senate refused to give them one. And Roberts sat quietly looking on,” said Elizabeth Wydra, president of the Constitutional Accountability Center, a progressive group.
Roberts’ one near-brush with controversy came Friday, but he resisted being drawn into the clash. The Democrats had pressed for the Senate to call witnesses to testify, including former national security advisor John Bolton and acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney.
If four Republicans had joined the 47 Democrats to approve Schumer’s motion, the chief justice could have found himself in the middle of a prolonged and hard-fought trial. If three Republicans had agreed, producing a 50-50 tie, Roberts would have come under pressure from Democrats to cast the deciding vote.
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