. >> senator jon tester, we appreciate you being with us this morning and throughout the senate trial. thanks for your time. >> thank you, jon. >> really interesting to talk to him throughout all of this. we have three days until the iowa caucuses. and former vice president joe biden has a throlot to say. we're live in iowa, next. (woman) what should we do with it first?

discuss the latest on the senate impeachment trial of president trump with fontana democratic senator jon tester tennessee republican senator marsha blackburn. be sure to watch c-span's washington journal live at 7:00 eastern this morning. join the discussion. ♪ >> next, democratic presidential holds ae pete buttigieg townhome meeting at the ymca in iowa. the states caucuses are monday. this runs in our -- an hour. >> >> good morning. >> good morning. >> thank you very much. it's an honor to be here today to introduce mayor pete, but i have a confession to make. i have not been a very good a democrat in the past and i will be a first time caucus-goers this time around. [applause] i excited about that. i knew that i needed to do something after the last election and as we neared this next election. i knew that i needed to do something but i thought getting out to caucus would be what i could do. and then mayor pete made his announcement. i thought, well, this guy seems kind of interesting. i like the way he sounds. that was in january. in march, i was able to meet with one of his first organizers

get it and it is incumbent upon the senate to get na information, part of our job. >> senator, jon testerfor taking the time. >> a pleasure jim, thank you. >>> let's talk about all of that, including what we heard from senator tester with jackie kucinich for "the daily beast," charlie dent and chan wu. congressman dent, we have a lot of lawmakers on this show, and it was interesting to hear the reaction from senator tester, heari ing joanie ernst for the first time, that shouldn't be the practice of either party. what do you make of it when you hear senator ernst. you would think perhaps that joe biden is on trial. and this is not an impeachment trial of joe biden, it is an impeachment trial of the president and that's a reaction from a juror. what do you make of it? >> well, she probably shouldn't have said it, but i think it was an honest assessment. how is all of this affecting joe biden's campaign? it is a legitimate question. she probably shouldn't have raised it. i said all along that the president of the united states essentially weaponized himself, he weaponized himself to damage

joining me now is democratic senator jon tester of montana. thank you so much for being with us.to the statement from lamar alexander? >> well, it's too bad. i think that this will be the first impeachment trial in history where we haven't had new documents and new witnesses. and i think that does set a precedent that's not good for this country or good for checks and balances. it's not good for separation of powers. and furthermore, i don't think the defense is engaged on the prosecution's points, and i know you guys have talked about that a lot. but it's rather obvious and very obvious, in fact, that the president withheld aid so the ukrainians would do an investigation to withhold oval office visit. >> what's remarkable is that senator alexander agrees with that. he says the house managers proved that. he agrees the president's actions were inappropriate, but he says that it should be left to the american people to decide in the next election. so how would you address that? >> i would just say this. what the president did was try to corrupt the election. and the election is no

that's not an excuse that holds water in my book. >> senator jon tester, thanks for being with us. >>xplosion in houston. a live report on what happened there, next. when you save for retirement a lot of things can get in the way. like unnecessary fees and hidden costs. but when you open a new fidelity account, you'll pay zero fees and no minimums. so there's nothing to stop you from moving forward. you'll pay zero fees and no minimums. when crabe stronger...strong, with new nicorette coated ice mint. layered with flavor... it's the first and only coated nicotine lozenge. for an amazing taste... ...that outlasts your craving. new nicorette ice mint. >>> we do have some breaking news out of houston. there's been a huge explosion at an industrial plant. if you look at your screen, you can see the destruction. the blast was captured on a surveillance camera nearby. authorities say one person at this hour is unaccounted for. cnn's ed lavandera joins us with the breaking news. what have you learned in terms of the details, ed? >> good morning. that plant area is also surrounded by the subu

mccaskill with this moment from her conversation earlier today with her friend, montana senator jon tester. >> somebody was asking what it was like to be -- he says like sitting on a tractor. let me say, i called him, when he calls quote-unquote a tractor. there's music. there's air conditioning. modern technology being what it is, you ain't out there by yourself like green acres. >> no, exactly. art bed. can it help keep me asleep? art bed. absolutely, it senses your movements and automatically adjusts to keep you both comfortable. it's the final days to save $1,000 on the sleep number 360 special edition smart bed. plus, 0% interest for 36-months. ends saturday. can you help keep these iguys protected online?? easy, connect to the xfi gateway. what about internet speeds that keep up with my gaming? let's hook you up with the fastest internet from xfinity. what about wireless data options for the family? of course, you can customize and save. can you save me from this conversation? that we can't do, but come in and see what we can do. we're here to make life simple. easy. awesome. ask. sh

the latest on the senate impeachment trial with president trump with montana democratic senator jon tester

senators dianne feinstein, joe manchin, jon tester, richard blumenthal, chris coons, and independentgus king who caucuses with the democrats are reportedly saying they are ready to proceed with a trial. so nancy pelosi, i will hand them over when i see what they are going to do. mitch mcconnell told her what they were going to do. >> jason: there is a reason why the constitution says the sole power rests. and sole is very, very clear. if they had a case, they would do it. i don't think mitch mcconnell will bring up the witnesses even though the president i think would like to see this long drawn out and getting some people testifying. but i have to tell you, it is to shame what they are doing, i think they made the stroke. they have a weak case. i don't think it serves the country well. it continues on. and nancy pelosi is about as pompous as i have ever seen her. >> harris: the longer this goes on, now there are different scenarios. i was reading that there was a thought that house republicans might go over and defend the president in the senate, senator mcconnell did not like that

out front, democratic senator jon tester of montana. hours away from your chamber taking this and you being sworn in as a juror. how significant is this new evidence which we understand just came from the criminally indicted lev parnas, former associate of the president's attorney rudy giuliani? >> i think it proves the facts we need folks who have first hand knowledge testifying in front of the senate if we're going to make a decision based on the facts. you know, the impeachment, the jury trial that's about to happen, most jury trials i know of get as much evidence as possible. they'll try to restrict the evidence, get the evidence and have a fair trial and move forward. so, i think it further adds to the fact that we need the folks whether it's bolton, whether it's giuliani, whoever it might be in front of us during this trial. >> i mean, it is -- you know, it's pretty incredible. in this letter, giuliani is saying i have a great fondness for your country. congratulations on your victory. i want to help you succeed. the next paragrap

i want to go to democratic senator jon tester of montana. did you find it helpful? >> absolutely. i think today was good for me. basically laid out the arguments during the amendment procedure because that was all really important information and it was new to me information. and i think what we've seen today with the five minutes on each side is we see them really kind of debate one another much easier because remember you guys saw this, the prosecution, house managers used 20 hours, the defense used a block of time less than that, but nonetheless a long block of time too. and i will tell you there was no interaction, just kind of sitting in a college class or just getting information, getting information, getting information and taking notes which i did. but now we're getting more exchange between the two sides. i think it's a lot more fun. >> yeah, it certainly has seemed that way. i just wanted to -- as you know alan dershowitz, one of the president's lawyers has been making the case that you need a crime to impeach a president and that that's required. now, just a few moments

morning, the latest on the senate impeachment trial of president trump montana democratic senator jon tester republican senator marsha blackburn. watch "washington journal." join the discussion. >> we will complete the question days. over the next two i remind senators that there questions must be in writing and will be submitted to the chief justice. ofing the question period the clinton trial, senators were thoughtful and brief with their questions, and the managers and counsel were six think in their in their- succinct answers. i hope we can follow these examples. impeachment trial of president trump live on wednesday on c-span2, on-demand as c-span.org/impeachment, or listen on the free c-span radio app. is not winning for our party, victory is winning for our country. [applause] president trump delivers his state of the union address from the house chamber live, tuesday, february 4 at 8:00 p.m. eastern followed by the democratic response. ,ive coverage on c-span on-demand that c-span.org, or listen on the free c-span radio app. >> next, senator bernie sanders holds a rally in ames, iowa

jon tester said ready for the trial. chris coons says time to get it on. it makes them look back.se stefanik who is a congresswoman from upstate new york says, you know what? nancy pelosi was saying come on, we have got to vote for this. it's urgent. we have got to do the impeachment. of course now not so urgent. take a look at this. watch. here she is last night with sean. >> pelosi has been exposed and the impeachment dam is breaking. we need to keep the pressure up. because she has no authority over the senate. so it is apply you a accommodatioyou aaccommodation s after urging the american people take this vote on arbitrary schedule. the real reason why she is holding back she doesn't want to expose the coordination that we know happened between adam schiff and the whistleblower. brian: we know. this nothing gets done until it's done. nobody understands exactly what nancy pelosi is up to. and everything is on hold. so i thought originally she thought there was going to be more evidence to come out that was going to bolster the case. i think we saw some of that nobody cared. it'

the latest on the senate impeachment trial with president trump with montana democratic senator jon testernd tennessee republican senator marsha blackburn. join the conversation all morning with your phone calls, emails, facebook comments, and tweets. "washington journal" is next. ♪" is next. ♪ host: the attorneys have made their arguments and now senators will have their chance. up to 16 hours of written questions in the impeachment trial of president donald j trump. welcome to "washington journal." impeachment getting underway 1:00 eastern on c-span 2. what did you hear in the closing arguments of defense attorneys yesterday and what would you like senators to ask those attorneys? .emocrats, use 202-748-8000 republicans, your line is 202-748-8001. for independents, that line, 202-748-8002. you can send us a text, 202-748-8003 is that line. make sure you include your name and where you are texting. you can also tweet us at @cspanwj for post thoughts on our facebook page. starting this morning from roll call, katherine kelly mcmanus about the question period that is the headline trump tria

the flip side on doug mansion and i want to bring in democratic senator jon tester from montana. a stal ear day for the united states senate i'll tell you that. the fact is that this is a very incomplete trial. i think the house managers did a great job in their prosecution but i think there is much more evidence out there, as you know, that is going to come out over the next days, weeks, months, years, that is just going to show that the senate hasn't done their job. and our job is to have a fair trial. our job is to get the facts. our job is not to stick our finger in the air and see which way the political winds are blowing, rather to find out what the facts are and make a good decision based on the facts. >> of course senator from montana and re-elected in 2018. it is a trump carry by a hefty margin. you have many constituents who are not democrats or republicans, conservatives, folks that may disagree with you on a lot of issues and i wonder what you think about how you plan to talk to or have been talking to your constituents about this trial and what it means and if there

mccaskill, with this moment from her conversation earlier today with her friend, montana senator jon testerwas asking what it was like to be in the senate. he said it's like sitting on a tractor. let me see i called him on what he calls, quote, unquote, a tractor. there's music. there's air-conditioning. modern technology being what it is, you ain't out there by yourself like green acres. >> no, exactly. to lower my blood sugar and a1c. to lower because i can still make my own insulin. and trulicity activates my body to release it like it's supposed to. trulicity is for people with type 2 diabetes. it's not insulin. i take it once a week. it starts acting in my body from the first dose. trulicity isn't for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. don't take trulicity if you're allergic to it, you or your family have medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. stop trulicity and call your doctor right away if you have an allergic reaction, a lump or swelling in your neck, or severe stomach pain. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. t

senator jon tester of montana. how are you, senator? >> i'm well, rachel, it's not as bad as you might think, there's been a lot of information presented and it's been very informative. >> the abuse of power article is by necessity a dramatic tale in terms of talking about the seriousness of what's at stake here. i found much of today, particularly tonight, to be absolutely riveting. i wonder, there's been a lot of discussion about whether senators are really paying attention, whether senators are really absorbing this. how do you feel the senator is handling itself and comporting itself in the face of this information? >> look, as i look at the folks sitting on the floor, listening to the testimony, some of them are paying very, very close attention. others are pretty nonchalant about it. nonetheless, i think in the end, the information that's been put forth by the prosecution has been nothing short of stunning. it's going to be interesting how the defense responds to this. but i will tell you, and i've said this on an earlier show tod

jon tester said this. i don't know what leverage we have. looks like the cake is already baked.n andy biggs, head of freedom caucus. this is my opinion. i don't think it is looking good for nancy pelosi. what say you. >> i think you're exactly right. she made a horrible miscalculation. she is looking bad. people are frustrated on both sides of the aisle that will not be good for her. what you're seeing in polling numbers, president trump is getting favorables up, because the economy you reported on is going well. i think people see this is a farce, it's a sham, it's a political ploy. it is horrible for nancy pelosi and her colleagues. stuart: let me move on to the iran situation. second tar of state pompeo they briefed congress on killing of soleimani. it was was a intelligence briefing. were you in on the intel briefing and were you convinced by the briefing we should have taken out soleimani when we did? >> i was in the briefing, stuart, and i believe there was constitutional authority, there was legal authority and there was moral authority to do it and strategically it was n

as you see jon tester there on your screen.ur to 11:00. we got the collins yes vote. we had one claire mccaskill reacting to that who happens to be here with this this morning. and then the lamar alexander eating his cake on two pieces of paper while leaving town and saying no witnesses. >> yeah, look, i keep thinking about how much of this felt fluid and how much of this was probably preordained. and i went back to, well, the darkest moment of the trump candidacy was the reveal of the "access hollywood" tape. when you're president, they let you do it. and i thought about -- i share with you, my anger toward erin sorkin for making me believe in heroes. but i thought about the hunger for joe biden to have a moment here in the next few days saying, i'm not perfect. any one of these democrats is better than the guy in the oval office because of the way he debases it in his conduct with the democratic leader of ukraine who was at war with russia. but i won't cheat. if i win, i promise you that if a foreign -- here's how it works on

senator jon tester, democrat of montana.re you saying he's trouble? >> he just is. let me say yesterday when somebody was asking what it was like to be on the senate floor, he said it's like sitting on a tractor. i called him what he calls a tractor, there's music, air-conditioning, it's a pretty sweet -- maybe long hours, but let's fess up, john. modern technology being what it is, you ain't out there by yourself like green acres. >> exactly. it's not like that for sure. but nonetheless, you have to pay attention to what you're doing for long periods of time. >> yes, you do. >> senator, my question is, i've noticed where you sit in the u.s. senate and you're lucky enough to be in the back by the door. in looking at your republican colleagues across the aisle, do you see any minds being changed? do you see people looking down at their shoes during the most effective portions of adam schiff's presentation? what do you sense in the chamber? >> look, i think that there are some that are looking at the floor and leaning back in