Trump impeachment: Senators play games and nap during trial

[Viceroy]

US senators have been accused of falling asleep, playing games and breaking other rules during President Donald Trump's impeachment trial. Jim Risch and Jim Inhofe are among members who have apparently nodded off during the lengthy hearings. Crossword puzzles, fidget spinners and at least one paper airplane have been spotted with senators. The trial has heard that Mr Trump's alleged abuse of power threatens American democracy. The senators are acting as the jury to decide whether the president should be removed from office. The upper chamber of US Congress prides itself as a hallowed sanctum of decorum. But some of its members - Republican and Democrat alike - have this week been accused by US media of acting like bored schoolchildren. Trump impeachment trial: All you need to know Democrats lay out abuse of power case Why is 'pettifogging' suddenly in the news? The rules call for senators to remain seated during the impeachment trial. But at least nine Democrats and 22 Republicans left their seats at various times on Thursday, according to Reuters news agency. They included Democratic White House hopefuls Bernie Sanders, Amy Klobuchar and Michael Bennet. Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican, defended herself on Thursday after she was spotted reading a book in the chamber.

 

 

Mr Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican, was spotted on Wednesday by an NBC reporter appearing to briefly doze off before he was nudged by Senator Todd Young, an Indiana Republican who sits next to him. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, was observed leaning on his right arm with his hand covering his eyes for 20 minutes. On Thursday, Richard Burr, a North Carolina Republican, handed out fidget spinners, a children's toy, to fellow senators to help them while away the hours in the chamber. "I saw somebody grab up a few of them, so they must have some real anxiety going along with this," said Mike Braun, an Indiana Republican. He said he did not require one of the gizmos. Phones, laptops and tablets are a regular accessory during normal Senate hearings, but all electronics have been banned in the chamber for this trial, leaving many restless.