Ron Johnson Blames Mitt Romney For Witnesses Being Called In Shouting Match On Senate Floor

Apparently there’s no love lost between Ron Johnson and Mitt Romney, because they exploded in a shouting match this morning. Evidently Johnson blames Romney for the vote in the Senate to allow impeachment trial witnesses. It’s not known if Romney blames Johnson in part for the Trumpification of the GOP, but the Democrats do, so maybe so does Romney.

Wow, Ron Johnson picked a fight with Mitt Romney on the Senate floor just now after this witness vote, per pooler @jason_donner

“Ron Johnson turned to Mitt Romney and was upset with him, even pointing at him once. Johnson was visibly upset….”

— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) February 13, 2021

For context: Dan Sullivan sits in between Johnson and Romney on the Senate floor.

— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) February 13, 2021

The exchange was audible to reporters inside the chamber.https://t.co/aHoa6Ny5U9

— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) February 13, 2021

It’s “grotesque” to record history. Duly noted.

But make no mistake, this sudden development in the trial of calling witnesses is an unexpected plot twist. The Trump impeachment lawyers are furious and Michael Van Der Veen, the personal injury lawyer Trump has representing him (think Walter Matthau in The Fortune Cookie) is threatening to call 100 witnesses of his own. And here’s Jason Miller’s cobbled together on the spot taunt.

Here is the list (so far) or potential witnesses the defense would call. Jason Miller said “just getting started” -> pic.twitter.com/Le1qaVkysv

— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) February 13, 2021

PLOT TWIST: SENATE VOTES TO CALL WITNESSES — After days of predicting the trial would be speedy and finish as early as today, senators agreed on a bipartisan basis to depose witnesses. Five Republicans — MITT ROMNEY, LISA MURKOWSKI, SUSAN COLLINS, BEN SASSE and LINDSEY GRAHAM — just voted with Democrats for the 11th-hour change of plans.

This is HUGE. Trump’s legal team this morning threatened to subpoena Speaker NANCY PELOSI and dozens of others if witnesses are called. Other Republicans, including Trump ally Graham, vowed to drag the trial out if Democrats went down this road.

HOW DID WE GET HERE? A handful of Senate Democrats this morning started saying they wanted to hear from witnesses after the discrepancies (if not falsehoods) espoused by the Trump defense team Friday. Plus, evidence emerged raising more questions about Trump’s actions on Jan. 6 and bolstering the case to call individuals to testify.

My gut instinct at this point is that Kevin McCarthy is going to be asked to give testimony. If there’s one witness you can absolutely depend upon being called, I would say that’s the one.

As to threats of calling Nancy Pelosi to the stand — by all means. I don’t even know why that is construed as a threat, but that’s how Lindsey Graham couched it.

“We can start with Speaker Pelosi to answer the question as to whether or not there was credible evidence of pre-planned violence before President Trump spoke?” He wrote on Twitter. “Her testimony is incredibly relevant to the incitement charge.”

Graham changed his vote to not allow witnesses to a vote to allow witnesses, when he saw that it was going that direction. Trump’s tool ought to be his new handle.