One major difference between the 2020 impeachment trial and the 1868 version is in the use of witnesses. The Constitution calls for a trail of the president in the Senate following impeachment by the House of Representatives. In 1868 there was a real trail with both sides allowed to call witnesses. There were a total of 41 witnesses called by the prosecution and defense during the trial.
After Ben Butler’s opening statement in the impeachment trail of President Andrew Johnson was delivered on March 30, the Senate opened the examination of witnesses on March 31, 1868. The opening testimony focused on the interaction between General Lorenzo Thomas, who was appointed interim Secretary of War by Johnson after he “fired” Edwin Stanton from that post, and Stanton. Here are excerpts from the New York Times April 1, 1868:
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