‘Remember Where You Are’: Chief Justice Roberts Admonishes Both Sides After Impeachment Arguments Get Personal

Chief Justice John Roberts admonished House managers and lawyers for President Trump during a 1 a.m. fireworks display Wednesday morning, after a marathon session between the legal teams – remind them to “remember where they are.”

Nadler accused Senate Republicans and President Trump’s defense team of orchestrating a “cover-up,” which drew a sharp rebuke from White House counsel Pat Cipollone – who added that Nadler “should be embarrassed” over his remarks.

“We’ve been respectful of the Senate, we’ve made our arguments to you. You don’t deserve and we don’t deserve what just happened,” said Cipollone, adding “Mr. Nadler came up here and made false allegations against our team, he made false allegations against all of you, he accused you of a cover-up. He’s been making false allegations against the president. The only one who should be embarrassed, Mr. Nadler, is you, for the way you’ve addressed this body. This is the United States Senate. You’re not in charge here.“

“It’s about time we bring this power trip in for a landing,” Cipollone said, prompting Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) to chuckle. “It’s a farce … Mr. Nadler, you owe an apology to the president of the United States and his family, you owe an apology to the Senate, but most of all, you owe an apology to the American people.”

Sekulow followed Cipollone and went a step further in his words and tone.

“The Senate is not on trial,” he almost shouted.

During these remarks, Nadler did not meet Sekulow’s gaze. As the White House counsel concluded, he returned to his table and threw down his papers in disgust.

The tensions rose further as Nadler responded, calling Cipollone a liar in one case. Cipollone shook his head, along with several Republican senators. -Washington Post

Following the exchange, Chief Justice Roberts said: “I think it is appropriate at this point for me to admonish both the House managers and president’s counsel in equal terms to remember that they are addressing the world’s greatest deliberative body.”

“One reason it has earned that title is because its members avoid speaking in a manner and using language that is not conducive to civil discourse,” he added.

“In the 1905 [Charles] Swayne trial, a manager objected when someone used the term ‘petty fogging.’ The presiding officer said the term ought not to have been used. I don’t think we need to aspire to that high a standard but I think those addressing the Senate should remember where they are,” said Roberts.