民主党周二痛斥其共和党对手支持弹劾审判规则，这些规则寻求唐纳德·特朗普总统迅速无罪释放，但背离了共和党人做出的程序将与前总统比尔·克林顿的审判程序相呼应的保证。

参议院多数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔(R-Ky)在一项决议草案中概述的规则。)周一最初显示，诉讼程序将与克林顿审判略有不同。他们后来被改变成民主党人喜欢的，尽管时间表仍然被压缩，这样争论可以在几天内结束。

参议院少数党领袖查克·舒默在其他民主党领导人的陪同下告诉记者，“麦康奈尔规则似乎是特朗普总统为特朗普总统设计的，只是由领导人麦康奈尔和参议院共和党人执行。”。"该决议似乎是在白宫而不是参议院写的。"

舒默重申他打算提出“一系列修正案”，其中包括强制传唤民主党要求的文件和证人。尚不清楚他将提出多少修正案。

然而，预计他们不会通过共和党控制的议院，因为即使温和的参议院共和党人，如缅因州的苏珊·科林斯，也表示，只有在弹劾经理和特朗普的辩护团队陈述了他们的案件后，他们才支持对证人投票。麦康奈尔誓言要通过提交修正案来击败修正案，这只需要简单的多数票。

“这不是一个公平审判的过程。这是作弊审判的过程。如果你不想让美国人民看到证据，这就是过程，”众议院情报委员会主席亚当·希夫(加州民主党)在他的六名弹劾经理同事的陪同下说。“如果你想与总统携手合作，允许总统继续阻挠国会，否认美国人民的真相，你可以使用这个程序。”

民主党人将麦康奈尔提议的规则决议等同于“掩盖”，该决议将在周二下午进行辩论和投票

司法委员会主席杰罗尔德·纳德勒(纽约民主党众议员)说:“要辩论你是否应该承认证据，要辩论你是否应该允许证人作证，就要辩论你是否应该掩盖事实。”。"从定义上来说，没有别的方法可以看它."

经过周末的一系列活动后，审判预计将于周二下午开始。这是你可能错过的。

1月21日，在华盛顿特区美国国会大厦弹劾审判开始前，众议院弹劾经理亚当·希夫(民主党众议员)在一次简短的媒体见面会上对记者发表讲话。图为L-R、其他众议院弹劾经理佐伊·洛夫格伦、哈基姆·杰弗里斯(民主党众议员)、杰里·纳德勒(民主党众议员)和杰森·克劳(民主党众议员)。

民主党人、白宫在简报中首次提出论点

小马丁·路德·金漫长的假日周末带来了未来几天的预演，众议院弹劾经理和白宫辩护团队在冗长的辩护状中阐述了他们的论点，说明特朗普为什么应该或不应该被免职。

民主党人强调了自从上个月众议院弹劾总统滥用权力和阻挠国会以来，他们收集到的反对总统的新证据。证据包括政府监察报告声明政府在没有通知国会的情况下扣留对乌克兰的外国援助违反了法律，正义安全组织获得的新邮件显示五角大楼官员对单方面推迟此类援助的合法性表示担忧。

“参议院应该宣判特朗普总统有罪并将其免职，以避免对我们的民主价值观和国家安全造成严重和长期的损害，”管理人员写道。“如果参议院允许特朗普总统留任，他和未来的领导人将有勇气在未来几年欢迎甚至争取外国对选举的干涉。”

与此同时，白宫对弹劾的反驳集中在“被操纵的”众议院弹劾调查和参议院审判的程序上，而不是指控总统在向外国施压进行有益于他政治的调查时拒绝外国援助的实质内容上。

特朗普的法律团队写道，这两篇文章是“对宪法和我们民主制度的冒犯”，该团队由白宫法律顾问帕特·西波尔隆、前希拉里特别检察官肯尼思·史塔和罗伯特·雷以及哈佛大学退休法学教授艾伦·德肖维茨组成。“文章本身——以及把它们带到这里的操纵过程——是众议院民主党人的无耻政治行为，必须予以拒绝。”

白宫进一步辩称，由于文章的构建方式，以及民主党的案件缺乏证据支持对他的不当指控，参议院的定罪将是“违宪的”

接下来是什么？期待规则戏剧和快速审判

参议院少数党领袖查克·舒默(右)(纽约)在美国国会大厦的新闻发布会上发表讲话，他在会上讨论了多数党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔1月21日在DC华盛顿提出的弹劾审判规则。

参议院民主党人和共和党人将在下午早些时候举行他们(单独的)每周一次的政党午餐，随后是关于麦康奈尔将在会场上正式介绍的关于审判程序的决议的辩论。

双方将有一个小时的辩论时间。舒默随后将提出上述修正案，寻求“修复”...许多缺陷”，包括传唤白宫文件和几位现任和前任政府官员，包括代理参谋长米克·马尔瓦尼和前国家安全顾问约翰·博尔顿。

这些修正案也将进行辩论。鉴于众议院的政治组成和共和党人与麦康奈尔提议一致的模式，预计不会通过。麦康奈尔在参议院的一次发言中表示，他将提出任何和所有此类修正案，如果只有简单多数的参议员支持他，这一举措将不允许投票。

规则决议的早期版本不会自动将众议院收集的证据纳入官方记录，而是需要投票表决。它被改变了，现在它将把证据记录在案。

参议院预计将通过麦康奈尔的决议，届时特朗普的法律团队可以提出动议驳回这些文章。如果这种情况发生，作为温和的共和党人，它很可能会失败甚至领导成员——表示不支持这样的举措。

周三下午1点，辩论预计将开始。弹劾经理将有24小时的时间陈述他们的理由，这将在三天内进行。规则决议的早期版本说只提供两天时间，但最终版本被修改为允许三天时间。白宫法律团队将在同样的天数内有同样的时间。

根据立法者办公室的说法，这一改变，以及承认众议院证据的记录，是在柯林斯和其他人对短暂的长日“提出担忧”之后发生的。

科林斯的发言人安妮·克拉克说:“她的立场是，审判应该尽可能遵循希拉里的模式。”。"她认为这些变化是一个显著的进步。"

民主党人将这种允许总统更快无罪释放的审判形式写成文字，作为共和党人试图通过让诉讼程序持续到凌晨来转移美国人对电视屏幕的注意力。

席夫说:“显然，当参议员麦康奈尔希望美国人民不要看的时候，诉讼可能会持续到深夜。”。

在麦康奈尔办公室更新文件文本后，这个故事随着麦康奈尔提出的规则决议细节的新发展而更新。它还更新了柯林斯参议员办公室的信息。

IMPEACHMENT TRIAL OPENS AS DEMOCRATS RAIL AGAINST GOP RULES: 'THIS IS THE PROCESS FOR A RIGGED TRIAL'

Democrats on Tuesday lambasted their GOP counterparts for supporting impeachment trial rules that seek a speedy acquittal for President Donald Trump, yet depart from assurances made by Republicans that the procedures would mirror those of former President Bill Clinton's trial.

Rules outlined in a draft resolution by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) Monday originally showed the proceedings will slightly differ from the Clinton trial. They were later altered in Democrats' favor, though the timeline remained compressed so that the arguments could conclude in just days.

"The McConnell rules seem to be designed by President Trump, for President Trump, simply executed by Leader McConnell and Senate Republicans," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters, flanked by other Democratic leaders. "It almost seems the resolution was written in the White House, not in the Senate."

Schumer reiterated his intent to offer a "series of amendments" that would, among other things, force subpoenas for documents and witnesses that Democrats have demanded. It's unclear how many amendments he will propose.

However, they are not expected to pass the GOP-controlled chamber, as even moderate Senate Republicans, such as Susan Collins of Maine, have said they support voting on witnesses only after impeachment managers and Trump's defense team have presented their cases. McConnell vowed to defeat the amendments by tabling them, which would only require a simply majority vote.

"This is not a process for a fair trial. This is the process for a rigged trial. This is the process if you do not want the American people to see the evidence," said Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), chairman of the Intelligence Committee, flanked by his six fellow impeachment managers. "This is a process you use if you want to work hand-in-hand with the president, allow the president to continue to obstruct the Congress and deny the truth to the American people."

Democrats equated McConnell's proposed rules resolution, which will be debated and voted upon Tuesday afternoon, to a "cover-up."

"To be debating whether you should have the evidence admitted, to be debating whether you should allow witnesses is to be debating whether you should have a cover-up," said Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Judiciary Committee chairman. "By definition, there is no other way to look at it."

The trial is expected to begin Tuesday afternoon after a flurry of activity over the weekend. Here's what you may have missed.

House impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) speaks to reporters during a brief media availability before the start of the impeachment trial at the U.S. Capitol on January 21 in Washington, D.C. Also pictured, L-R, other House impeachment managers Rep. Zoe Lofgren, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) and Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO).

Democrats, White House issue first arguments in briefs

The long Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday weekend brought a preview of what's to come in the coming days as the House impeachment managers and the White House defense team laid out their arguments in lengthy briefs for why Trump should or should not be removed from office.

Democrats highlighted the new evidence they've collected against the president since the House impeached him last month for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. That evidence includes a government watchdog report stating the administration violated the law by withholding foreign aid to Ukraine without informing Congress and new emails obtained by Just Security showing the concern among Pentagon officials over the legality of unilateral delaying such aid.

"The Senate should convict and remove President Trump to avoid serious and long-term damage to our democratic values and the Nation's security," the managers wrote. "If the Senate permits President Trump to remain in office, he and future leaders would be emboldened to welcome, and even enlist, foreign interference in elections for years to come."

The White House, meanwhile, centered its rebuttal to impeachment on the procedures of the "rigged" House impeachment inquiry and Senate trial rather than the substance of the allegations that the president withhold foreign assistance while pressuring a foreign country to conduct probes that would benefit him politically.

The two articles are "an affront to the Constitution and to our democratic institutions," Trump's legal team wrote which is consisted of White House counsel Pat Cipollone, former Clinton special prosecutors Kenneth Starr and Robert Ray, and retired Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz. "The Articles themselves—and the rigged process that brought them here—are a brazenly political act by House Democrats that must be rejected."

The White House further argued that because of the way the articles are constructed, and that Democrats' case lacks the evidence to support the wrongdoing allegations levied against him, a conviction by the Senate would be "unconstitutional."

What's next? Expect rules drama and an expedited trial

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (R) (D-NY) speaks at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol where he discussed the impeachment trial rules proposed by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on January 21 in Washington, DC.

Senate Democrats and Republicans will have their (separate) weekly party lunches in the early afternoon, followed by a debate over the resolution that McConnell will officially introduce on the floor regarding the trial proceedings.

Each side will have one hour to debate. Schumer will then offer the amendments outlined above that will seek to "fix...many flaws," including by subpoenaing White House documents and several current and former administration officials, including acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and former national security adviser John Bolton.

These amendments will also be subject for debate. None are expected to pass, given the political makeup of the chamber and Republicans' pattern of falling in line with McConnell's proposals. McConnell said in a Senate floor speech that he would move to table any and all such amendments, a move that would not allow for a vote to occur if just a simple majority of senators back him.

An earlier version of the rules resolution would not have automatically admitted into the official record evidence collected by the House and would have required a vote. It was changed so that it will now admit the evidence into the record.

The Senate is expected to pass McConnell's resolution, at which point Trump's legal team could make a motion to dismiss the articles. If this occurs, it will likely fail, as moderate Republicans—and even leadership members—have said they don't support such a move.

On Wednesday at 1 p.m., arguments are expected to begin. The impeachment managers will have 24 hours to make their case, which will take place over the course of three days. The earlier version of the rules resolution said only two days would be afforded, but the final version was amended to allow for three days. The White House legal team will then have the same amount of time stretched over the same number of days.

This change, along with admitting House evidence into the record, came after Collins "and others raised concerns" about the short number of long days, according to the lawmaker's office.

"Her position has been that the trial should follow the Clinton model as much as possible," said Collins spokesperson Annie Clark. "She thinks these changes are a significant improvement."

Democrats chalked up this trial format, which allows the president a faster acquittal, as an attempt by Republicans to deflect Americans' attention away from the television screens by having the proceedings run into the early morning hours.

"The proceedings could conceivably go well into the night when, apparently, Senator McConnell hopes the American people will not be watching," Schiff said.

This story was updated with new developments about the details of the rules resolution put forth by McConnell after the text of the document was updated by McConnell's office. It was also updated with information from Sen. Collins' office.