According to the Senate’s own rule, all senators are to be at their desk throughout the entire trial, they are not allowed to leave for any reason while the trial is in session.

But as we know, Republicans only care about rules when they can be applied against Democrats.

I suspect it is just a coincidence that the Republicans left the chamber just as Schiff hit his most pointed evidence against Donald Trump. I honestly believe it may be due to the sheer difficulty in hearing how damning the actual case – not the Fox News case, the actual case – is against Donald Trump.

Mitch McConnell will not allow video of the floor itself during the trial, so there is no video of the senators leaving. That doesn’t mean it hasn’t been noticed:

As Schiff hits 2-hour mark, more than a dozen GOP senators have left Senate chamber & are in cloakroom. All Dems, I believe, remain in the chamber. Sen. Bennet gestures w his hand as if to say, what's with that? Rules require senators to be at their desks for entirety of trial.

— Jon Ward (@jonward11) January 22, 2020

And

Gillibrand was the one Dem I saw standing in the back, as a number of Republicans were doing. But then Republicans started leaving. I'm not in chamber now so I don't know how long they were out.

— Jon Ward (@jonward11) January 22, 2020

It would seem that Republicans cannot hear the evidence without doing some soul-searching, and searching, and searching, perhaps they went to look for their soul. Some might find it to be wholly missing.

Still, one would think that a rule is a rule. Then again, we’re talking about Republicans, and previously, it was a rule that impeachment trials had witnesses.

****

Peace, y’all

Jason

[email protected] and on Twitter @MiciakZoom