Democrats in Denial? Lead Impeachment Manager Calls Failed Impeachment Trial a “Dramatic Success”

Democrats touted the Senate impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump as a big win despite his acquittal.

"It was a dramatic success in historical terms," lead impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday. "It was the largest impeachment conviction vote in U.S. History."

"It was by far the most bipartisan majority that's ever assembled in the Senate to convict a president, which has traditionally been a kind of partisan thing in American history," Raskin continued. "We got seven Republicans, and if you look at the ten Republicans in the House who joined us, it was by far the most bipartisan decision and a complete repudiation of the president's conduct."

Raskin and his fellow Democrat impeachment managers on Saturday drew harsh criticism from both the left and the right after their stark reversal on whether to call witnesses in Trump's Senate trial.

Critics said Democrats "caved" for having a press release from Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Wash., read into the record after initially asking to depose her -- a move that could have potentially brought in many more witness and extended the trial by weeks.

"We were going to proceed to do it," Raskin said. "Then the Republicans stipulated to allow the evidence to come into the record. You asked about some other people who might have gotten up there and lied. We don't know what Kevin McCarthy would have said."

"We could have had 1,000 witnesses, but that could not have overcome the kinds of silly arguments that people like McConnell and [Sen. Shelley Moore] Capito were hanging their hats on," he continued.

Raskin also patted himself on the back, saying that he "demolished" Trump lawyers.

Lead House impeachment manager Jamie Raskin said on Sunday he "demolished" former President Donald Trump's legal defense team, but at the end of the day, there is no reasoning with members of a religious cult. He described the effort of he and the other House impeachment managers as a resounding success in both "the court of opinion and the court of history."

Asked by Meet the Press host Chuck Todd on why he declined to call witnesses or pursue a dereliction of duty charge, Raskin said Senate Republicans "would have found some way to acquit" no matter what case was presented. The Democratic Maryland congressman said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's scathing speech against Trump just moments after voting to acquit him was revealing of how much hypocrisy Republicans were willing to stack up in order to get Trump off the hook.

Raskin quipped: "I'd have had [McConnell] on the impeachment manager's team in the way he presented that. Except, then he went back to the completely counterfeit argument that the Senate couldn't conduct the trial of Trump's impeachment, although he was impeached during his presidency for acts committed during his presidency."

"I thought that I successfully demolished [Trumps' lawyers arguments] during the trial. But there's no reasoning with people who basically are acting like members of a religious cult and when they leave office should be selling flowers at Dulles Airport," Raskin continued. "[They think in a] cultish and dangerous way."

The lead House impeachment manager reiterated that he believes the trial put forth to the public was a "complete repudiation" of Trump's behavior which ultimately led to the January 6 Capitol riot. He highlighted that 17 Republicans, 10 from the House, and seven from the Senate, realized the former president is still trying to "wage war on American constitutional democracy."

Again, leftists do not live in reality.

Everyone with a brain cell knew that this sham of a trial was going to fall flat on its face.

Ted Cruz said as much just days earlier.