Trump had one last chance to defend himself and persuade the Congress he did nothing wrong. [View all]

[kentuck]

He refused to participate.

The House Judiciary sent him the request to send a lawyer or representative to the hearing and he chose to vilify the process, rather than come forward with any type of defense.

It leaves open the question: Can there be a trial in the Senate if he simply refuses to show up? Can he sit back and blame everyone else for his crimes and expect the Republican sycophants in the Senate to cover for him?

It reminds me of the old story about how a suspect in a trial was told to "Go to hell!" He responded, "Well, I won't go, but I will send my lawyer."

That seems to be Trump's playbook.