In an op-ed published Monday in The Washington Post rather than an in-state publication, Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) expressed his “fear” that the U.S. Senate will hold an impeachment trial into President Donald Trump that “is not intended to find the whole truth.”
His piece was entitled, “Every trial is a pursuit of truth. Will my colleagues in the Senate uphold that?”
Jones begins the op-ed by teaching readers the Latin meaning of “verdict,” before raising the stakes of the upcoming impeachment trial.
“Our decision will have enormous consequences, not just for President Trump, but for future presidencies and Congresses, and our national security,” Alabama’s junior senator wrote.
He continued, “For Americans to have confidence in the impeachment process, the Senate must conduct a full, fair and complete trial with all relevant evidence regarding the president’s conduct. I fear, however, that we are headed toward a trial that is not intended to find the whole truth. For the sake of the country, this must change.”
Jones then blamed Trump for the House’s impeachment inquiry not having brought to light “the whole truth.” Jones also asserted that past impeachment procedures do not apply to Trump.
“Procedures in prior impeachment trials set no precedents because each is unique to its particular set of facts. Unlike what happened during the investigation of President Bill Clinton, Trump has blocked both the production of virtually all relevant documents and the testimony of witnesses who have firsthand knowledge of the facts,” Jones said.
The freshman senator from Mountain Brook has consistently said that he needs to examine all of the evidence and hear from witnesses before making a judgement on whether to convict Trump.
Jones in the Monday op-ed stated, “The evidence we do have may be sufficient to make a judgment, but it is clearly incomplete.”
“There are four witnesses who could help fill those gaps: the president’s former national security adviser, his acting chief of staff, the senior adviser to his acting chief of staff and a top national security official in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Each has direct knowledge regarding the charges against the president and should testify under oath at a Senate trial,” he added.
As he did in the Kavanaugh confirmation process, Jones also proceeded to request more documents from the White House related to impeachment.
“Importantly, to evaluate any testimony, all relevant documents need to be produced. Everyone knows a paper trail exists — one always does — and it will either corroborate or contradict the testimony,” Jones wrote.
He then accused Trump of putting up a “blockade” on key witnesses testifying in the Senate. Jones has previously expressed his support of the impeachment whistleblower staying secret and not having to testify.
You can read the entire op-ed here.
RELATED: Doug Jones on Trump impeachment inquiry: ‘Not a witch hunt … not a hoax, it’s not fake news’
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
