Political Quotes

“Thank you, Mr. Chief Justice. I submit to the desk a question on my behalf and on behalf of Senator Cornyn. The CHIEF JUSTICE. The question from Senator Moran and Senator Cornyn is for counsel to the President: Is it true that in these proceedings that the Chief Justice can rule on the issue of productions of exhibits and the testimony of witnesses over the objection of either the managers or the President's counsel? Would a determination by the Chief Justice be subject to judicial review? Mr. Counsel PHILBIN. Mr. Chief Justice, Senators, thank you for the question, and let me answer it this way--lay out my understanding of the process. If we were going to start talking about subpoenaing witnesses, subpoenaing documents, having things come into evidence that way, the first question would be subpoenas would have to be issued to the witnesses or for the documents, and if those subpoenas were resisted on the grounds of some privilege or immunity, then that would have to be sorted out because if the President asserted, for example, the immunity of a senior adviser to the President or an executive privilege over certain documents, then the Senate would have to determine whether it was going to fight that assertion and how--through some accommodation process and negotiation--or if the Senate were going to go to court to litigate that. And that whole process would have to play out.…”