The Tedious Trump Trial: Republican Tactic or Lack of Interest?

Motions and countermotions that are dragging on have slowed the hearings.

Yawns, naps, notes slid between desks and books secretly read: Donald Trump’s impeachment trial seems like a class full of bored teenagers, as many Republicans are fed up with some sessions they compare to “Groundhog Day.”

The hours are growing long for the jury at Trump’s political trial, made up of 100 senators who have to listen silently to an argument they already know and that is unlikely to end in the president’s removal from office, as he is protected by a Republican majority in the Senate.

“In some ways it’s like ‘Groundhog Day’ — about every hour and a half, they [the Democrat prosecutors] start over again,” said Republican Sen. John Barrasso.

The proceedings have brought out the artistic side of Republican Sen. Rand Paul, who, after finishing a crossword puzzle and a paper airplane, dedicated part of Thursday to drawing the Capitol, while his colleague Richard Burr entertained himself with a fidget spinner. With cell phones forbidden in the session, many hide their reading behind their desk so that it is unclear whether or not it is related to the trial, unless they are trying to attract the attention of the press.

That is the case with Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who, decked out in bright coral-colored glasses, boasted on Twitter that she had read a book on “how Trump-haters are breaking America,” and that “busy mamas are the best at multi-tasking.”

There was no lack of those who resorted to passing notes to their colleagues, like Susan Collins and Kamala Harris. But if it were possible to reprimand the senators, conservative Sen. Lindsay Graham would be the first one to be punished. He showed his indifference to the arguments and videos that the Democrats presented.

Graham’s colleague Lamar Alexander nodded off several times and was seen sleeping for a while on Thursday. The Democrats thus lost the attention of one of the few conservatives that they hope to convince to call for new witnesses.

The idea that the proceedings against Trump are tedious began to spread when hearings started in the House about the Ukraine pressure campaign, which one of the president’s sons, Eric, called a “snoozefest” on Twitter.

It suits the president’s allies to spread that idea to avoid Senate agreement on prolonging the trial with more witnesses, and to keep America’s currently moderate support for the political trial at bay.