In making his closing arguments on Monday, House impeachment manager Adam Schiff claimed that unless President Donald Trump is impeached he might give away the state of Alaska to Russia.
Schiff, California Democrat, said he disagreed with the president’s legal team that his actions involving Ukraine did not rise to the level of impeachment because he broke no laws.
He then warned that they were setting a precedent that would only encourage Trump to pursue “unacceptable” actions if exonerated.
“Trump could offer Alaska to the Russians in exchange for support in the next election,” he said. “Or decide to move to Mar-a-Lago personally and let Jared Kushner run the country, delegating to him the decision whether to go to war.”
Schiff, who is also chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, noted further that Senate Republicans, without voting to impeach, would create a “runaway presidency.”
“We have known since the day we brought these charges that the bar to conviction requiring a full two-thirds of the Senate may be prohibitively high,” he said.
“And yet, the alternative is a runaway presidency and a nation whose elections are open to the highest bidder.”
After deciding against more impeachment witnesses on Friday in a 51-49 vote, the Senate is expected to vote to acquit the president on Wednesday.