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Fidget Spinners and Quick Breaks: Senators Fight Impeachment Trial Fatigue

(Bloomberg) -- Bipartisan fatigue is creeping into the Senate chamber as the impeachment trial of Donald Trump is stretching into its third day.

Yawns were contagious -- from conservative Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton to liberal Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

North Carolina Republican Richard Burr handed out fidget spinners to his colleagues during the pre-trial lunch and brought an squishy orange stress ball with him on the Senate floor.

The impeachment managers presenting the House’s case had a captive audience in the senators who are supposed to be in their seats and silent for the duration of the trial “upon pain of imprisonment.” But after 13 hours of procedural debate on Tuesday and more than eight hours of opening arguments on Wednesday, patience in the chamber was starting to wear thin.

House Judiciary Chairman Adam Schiff opened Thursday’s session thanking senators for their “long and considerable attention” and joking that it is rare for senators to spend so much time listening to House members. Republican senators were not amused.

“Let the House make their case, their repetitive case, and we’ll hear the same thing over and over again,” Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson told reporters. “Let the White House make their case, we’ll ask questions and then we’ll probably put an end to this.”

Staying Awake

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer said Republicans are restless because they don’t want to respond to allegations that Trump abused his office.

“Many of them really don’t want to be there,” Schumer said. “And so, for some of it, they’re looking the other way.”

Some senators took diligent notes and appeared to be engaged in the House Democrats’ presentation of their case. Yet with most senators of both parties already decided on Trump’s fate, many of the lawmakers-turned-jurors used various tactics to stay awake and pass the time.

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy paced in the back of the chamber on Thursday, tracing an L-shaped path in the corner of the chamber as impeachment manager Sylvia Garcia spoke about a debunked conspiracy theory that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in the 2016 election. Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich stood up at one point to stretch his legs.

There have been a few pauses in the proceedings, which senators used to get food or huddle on strategy. During one break, a group of Republicans gathered around Utah Senator Mike Lee’s desk for an intense discussion, glancing up at the press gallery to make sure reporters couldn’t make out what they were saying.

On Wednesday, senators including Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Cory Booker of New Jersey and John Cornyn of Texas, took a break from the chamber and disappeared into nearby cloakrooms. Sanders, also a 2020 Democratic presidential contender, stepped out for roughly 40 minutes after appearing fatigued and resting his head on his hand.

At one point during Wednesday’s proceedings, Sanders walked over to speak with fellow Democratic presidential candidate Senator Amy Klobuchar. Both are missing out on crucial time campaigning in Iowa before the Feb. 3 caucus.

Running Late

Booker, who recently ended his own presidential bid, was a particular offender when it came to the trial’s rules for senator conduct as jurors.

He left his seat to chat with California Senator Kamala Harris, another former Democratic presidential contender. Then he went into the Democratic cloakroom, and returned not to his desk, but to stand behind Democrats Klobuchar and Senator Chris Coons. Later, he strolled around the back of the chamber and took an empty seat at the back of the chamber in one of the rows of chairs where aides usually sit and slung an arm across the back of an empty chair.

Throughout the proceedings, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell sat stone-faced as Schiff and other House impeachment managers delivered their arguments. Unlike most other jurors, McConnell didn’t take any notes and also didn’t have a single sheet of paper on his desk.

Starting the trial at 1 p.m. every day has made for some late nights, which is interfering with the normal schedule of the Senate’s early birds. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, the chamber’s senior Republican, said he is normally asleep by 9 p.m. and wakes up at 4 a.m. to run three miles before starting his day. He said Thursday morning he didn’t get to run until 7:20 a.m.

“My period of running is not only for exercise but it’s a time that I discuss things with God,” Grassley told reporters. When asked if God told him anything, he said: “You don’t really have a conversation. What you do is -- well, you pray.”

(Updates with additional details from the Senate trial, beginning in the 10th paragraph.)

--With assistance from James Rowley and Steven T. Dennis.

To contact the reporters on this story: Erik Wasson in Washington at ewasson@bloomberg.net;Laura Litvan in Washington at llitvan@bloomberg.net;Daniel Flatley in Washington at dflatley1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Anna Edgerton

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