On Thursday, MSNBC “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd called in to Boston Public Radio to discuss the latest headlines surrounding the Senate impeachment trial.
The chat included commentary on the role Chief Justice John Roberts, who is presiding over the hearings, has played in their development. So far, Roberts has mostly kept silent.
“In my observation of John Roberts,” Todd said, “he seems to be intent on trying to do one thing: protect what’s left of the integrity of the judiciary branch.”
"He does not want the court to be viewed as a partisan place, even though he knows many people assume that it is,” Todd continued. "I think the guy cares more about the appearance of impartiality in the Supreme Court than his own ideology.”
There was one moment when Roberts made his presence known, early Wednesday morning, admonishing both sides for using language "not conducive to civil discourse.”
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“I think it is appropriate at this point for me to admonish both the House managers and the president’s counsel, in equal terms, to remember that they are addressing the world’s greatest deliberative body,” Roberts said.
Beyond that, the Chief Justice has opted not to participate.
"By doing that, you might sit there and say he seems like a potted plant,” Todd said. "He would argue ’no, I am not inserting myself into this. If I insert myself in it too much, what might be the right thing gets interpreted the wrong way and then we’re in a bad place.”
