In addition to its historical significance, the primary reason I decided to write a few posts about Trump’s impeachment trial is because of ongoing heavy investment of evangelical Christian energies into the president’s defense.
The overwhelming majority of white evangelicals continue to support Trump, regardless of his behavior. The majority of conservative Christians are equally (if not more) conservative in their politics. Which means that their major source of political information is Fox News.
I have no idea what percentage of American viewers are watching the Senate trial, or how many watched the witness testimony collected in the House committee hearings. But I suspect that few Americans watch the testimony and arguments live and in full.
Rather, public opinion is formed by the short clips and editorializing provided by favorite news stations. Again, for conservative Christians this source of information is gained overwhelming from Fox.
One of President Trumps defense lawyers is Jay Sekulow, an evangelical
Christian and media darling of Fox News. He is Fox’s natural go-to guy for commentary on the Senate trial proceedings.
Sekulow is also the host, with his son, of a radio/television talk show broadcast on various Christian media outlets. I listen to Sekulow’s program regularly.
There is nothing particularly “Christian” about it. Instead, Sekulow’s show serves as one more supposed news outlet, like Fox, that exists to repeat Republican party talking-points.
Which is why I am saddened, but not surprised, to see Sekulow and others on Trump’s defense team stand up on the Senate floor and lie to the American people.
I cannot believe that they do not know exactly what they are doing. Deliberate lying is the only way to describe Sekulow’s behavior.
While all of Trump’s legislative supporters are doing it, Sekulow claims to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. And THAT makes Sekulow’s lies especially abhorrent.
Lying is one thing, but lying deliberately in defense of a favored politician is inexcusable for anyone who claims to follow Jesus Christ.
I will mention only two examples to illustrate Mr. Sekulow’s problem:
First, Sekulow’s opening statement to the Senate repeated the Republican complaint that the president was denied due process during the House investigations, saying that Trump and his lawyers were shut out of the committee hearings. Watch Sekulow repeat this charge here (beginning at the 1:00 minute mark).
This is an oft repeated Republican lie.
This lie has been repeatedly rebutted by the Democratic impeachment managers. In fact, you can watch a news report below describing the Judicial Committee’s invitation to President Trump, asking him to attend their meetings in November, 2019.
I remember watching a segment of the House investigation where they explained that the president had been invited to tell his side of the story with his own lawyers present (calling Jay Sekulow!) so they could cross-examine witnesses!
Yet, Sekulow and others repeat this lie shamelessly. The fact is that Trump declined the invitation and instructed everyone in the Executive branch to ignore all Congressional subpoenas.
Second, Sekulow was interviewed yesterday about his upcoming strategy. He said that he intended to rebut the Democratic charge that the president had solicited Ukraine for a “quid pro quo;” that is, you scratch my back (by announcing an investigation into the Bidens) and I’ll scratch yours (by releasing the hold on the weapons that you want).
Sekulow strangely insisted that this charge is phony because the first article of impeachment never says anything about a quid pro quo. What Sekulow fails to mention, however, is that the article explains, in plain English, how the president’s request of Ukraine amounted to an actual quid pro quo.
Watch this clip with Jake Tapper exposing Sekulow’s lie by putting the actual article of impeachment on the screen explaining how Trump’s quid pro quo worked, without using the words themselves (beginning at 1:40).
These two examples are only the tip of the iceberg of egregious lies constructed by the Republicans and repeated on partisan “news” programs by lawyers, like Jay Sekulow, who are willing to deceive the public with a straight face.
I am sorry, but this is not the behavior of a Christian lawyer.
