Donald Trump Impeachment Sketch Artist Shows Sen. Jim Risch Asleep During Trial

The nation may be riveted by the ongoing impeachment trial against President Donald Trump, but [...]

By Allison Schonter

The nation may be riveted by the ongoing impeachment trial against President Donald Trump, but Republican Sen. James E. Risch of Idaho seemed to be a little less enthused during Tuesday's hours-long proceedings. As the Senate laid out the details of the proceedings, New York Times sketch artist Art Lien caught the moment that Risch, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, caught a few Z's.

According to The Washington Post, Risch began to lose the fight against his heavy eyelids shortly after 5:30 p.m., just four hours after the trial proceedings began. He "could be seen from the press gallery motionless, with his eyes closed and head slumped against his right hand," but managed to "briefly" perk up before closing his eyes again "when Demings cued up video of testimony from U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland."

The moment, captured forever in sketch form, is drawing a few laughs, and plenty of comments, on social media.

"Would it be wrong to print and frame this?" one person joked.

"I'd imagine a lot of the Senators would have dozed off if McConnell had stuck to his original plan to have 12-hr days, [especially] starting at 1 pm," replied another. "Thank goodness he relented on that outrageous proposition."

"I'd like to see this as a cartoon," added another. "Hell, I would read a weekly cartoon just of politicians doing mundane politician stuff. Maybe add a nice punchline quote of the week."

"Geez, you'd think one of the senators on either side would give Senator Risch an elbow!" one person suggested.

"Sleeping on the job [Senator Risch]? He had only one thing to do......" wrote someone else, adding a laughing emoji.

Although Risch's brief nap could be summed up to disinterest in the proceedings, it could also be credited to the fact that the chamber's staid rules don't allow senators to drink coffee. In fact, the only food allowed onto the Senate floor is milk, water, and candy. In an effort to keep them wide-eyed and focused, The New York Times reports that there is a bipartisan "candy desk," which is "on the Republican side of the chamber, in the back row on the aisle — right next to the chamber's most heavily used entrance."

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