Sen. Jim Risch: Some senators 'nodding off' during impeachment trial
BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — Senator Jim Risch (R) called in to 670 KBOI Wednesday to discuss President Donald Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate.
"This is serious stuff. Obviously it is a constitutional right of the House of Representatives to impeach [the president]," Risch started the conversation by explaining, "Even if it is done on a purely political basis."
Risch went on to say it is also the constitutional right to try the president afterword in the senate, as jurors.
"The schedule is a grind," Risch said. "We want to give this a fair hearing. Let the House managers present their case."
The senator described the House's case as repetitive and tiresome.
"They promised us when they started yesterday that they were going to produce overwhelming evidence that would show that the president should be impeached," Risch said. "They haven't got to that part yet."
Risch ensured 670 KBOI several times that the Senators were in fact taking this trial seriously.
"There's 100 senators," Risch explained. "All most all of us are on the floor all the time."
The conversation then steered towards what kind of attention and excitement the trial has brought to Boise and other parts of Idaho's communities.
He explained no one is really protesting the impeachment, "It doesn't have the same protesting the other kind of things do (sic)."
Nate Shelman then directed the conversation to reports of Risch "nodding off" during the trial.
"Ya, well, they claim that," Risch explained. "It's tough to sit there all that time. When it is warm, and you've been sitting there a long time. I don't think that happened."
Risch said some other senators may be guilty of falling asleep.
"It's true that some of the senators have from time to time nodded off," Risch said, "...but I don't think I'm one; hope I'm not one."
Risch explained when the days are as long as the ones they are experiencing right now, you're mind tends to drift.
Check out Risch's full interview with 670 KBOI below:
