Clinton Rules News Today

Switching back and forth between MSNBC and CNN last Thursday night as they aired competing, hour-long interviews with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, viewers ran the risk of whiplash. The threat lingered not just because Clinton and Trump were on opposite ends of the political spectrum, but because the tone and tenor of the two…

Never mind that the verdict was "not guilty," and the special counsel appointed by Trump's attorney general was routed.

Democrats blasting the republican-drafted road map as a cover-up, but managing to win an early concession from the republican leader. peter alexander starts our coverage >> reporter: tonight president trump is officially on trial. >> the senate will convene as a court of impeachment. >> reporter: both sides, house democrats who will prosecute, and the presidents defense team arriving in the capitol, a dramatic scene on the senate floor. all 100 senators, the jurors warned not to speak. >> hear y...

Baker "the breach", youll see all about it and in 1998 -- sold his vote and saying a vote for me is against impeaching bill clinton and telling the truth is a refreshing thing and what mcconnell said is true and not a one of them doesnt know how they are going to vote right now. >> but there is a difference -- because actually in the clinton process tim lott and tom dashel made a point of not talking to the white house -- hold on -- >> he staffed but he did not -- >> however he and trent lott go...

Against a wall. >> this is a fight over whether and how to call witnesses in this trial. democrats look at the polls that show that calling witnesses is more popular than actually proceeding with impeachment, and they think theyve got leverage here. whether they do or not, i dont know. when mitch mcconnell talks about following the clinton model, im not sure what he means. the senate voted in secret on some rules of the road. they didnt have live witnesses, they had some videotape witnesses. the...

Does want the clinton rules which passed the senate at the time 100-0. >> thats right. >> they heard presentations from both sides and made decisions about witnesses at that point. if you listen to senator murkowskis interview all the way through, she wants the clinton rules which is what mcconnell has said. theres an effort to be made here to put some daylight between murkowski and the rest of her colleagues but it strikes me the republicans are on the same page. >> to press you on that. the re...

Where shes playing games. she also understands that she doesnt have any leverage in the senate process. she has met mitch mcconnell. mitch mcconnell isnt someone that is going to listen to the house democrats in terms of what he thinks the process should be in the senate. so this idea that she thought somehow that she had leverage, i dont think she ever really thought that because she knows how this process works and she wants to sort of honor the traditions of what this process has looked like ...

The factual rules need to be adopted. it was interesting in speaker pelosis press conference that she actually echoed the clinton rules which is something that mitch mcconnell was also talking about. under the clinton rules its sort of a multi-part process that starts with extensive presentations by lawyers for the president and for the house and after those presentations are done and after senators can ask the lawyers questions, then and only then is the issue of actual witnesses raised. >> the...

Trance mi transmit. i know it sounds wonky but welcome to the constitution which is a class that were getting in this process, when the house must transfer the articles over to the senate. you studied impeachment. what are the rules, and do you think the democrats would have leverage here? >> yeah, so it is wonky. its also unusual. remember, this is the third impeachment of a president in u.s. history. this doesnt happen all the time. there arent that many rules. there are some senate rules that...

In the house if you guys hadnt been stonewalling us. it becomes circular at a certain point. >> i think what senator mcconnell is saying is that hes looking to adopt essentially the first part of the clinton rules. what happened first were opening arguments, long opening arguments by the house managers, members of congress -- members of the house who were essentially acting as prosecutors and the presidents defense lawyers. and after that, and only after that, then the senators will decide wheth...