U.S. Senate TV/Handout via Reuters
Lead manager House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) delivers an opening argument as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) (lowerR) prepares to speak during the second day of the Senate impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump in this frame grab from video shot in the U.S. Senate Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 22, 2020.
- US senators are breaking impeachment trial rules by sneaking in forbidden food and snacks into the Senate Chamber, according to reporters.
- According to the rules, no food or drink are allowed except for still or sparkling water.
- Two precedents set in the 1960s permit senators to request milk and eat candy so long as it is retrieved from the so-called "candy desk."
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Senators are breaking impeachment trial rules by eating forbidden snacks, according to reporters in the Senate Chamber.
According to the impeachment rules, no food or drink are allowed in the Chamber except for still or sparkling water and/or milk. However, the rules weren't enough to stop senators from sneaking in snacks into the Chamber to sustain themselves during the 12-hour days of arguments.
Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska reportedly snuck in a bag of beef jerky to his desk, according to Roll Call. The publication also reported seeing Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand a Democrat from New York bringing in a grocery bag with unknown contents.
Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana was munching on a candy bar at his desk, and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont pulled out a box of mints from his pocket and tried to sneakily open it with his keys, muffling the jangle, Roll Call reported.
A precedent set in 1965 allowed US senators to eat candy in the chamber so long as it is kept in a so-called "candy desk." Former Sen. George Murphy of California had a sweet tooth and often kept candy in his desk. He shared his sweet stash with fellow senators, thus starting the tradition.
"In every Congress since that time a candy desk has been located in the back row of the Republican side, on the aisle and adjacent to the Chamber's most heavily used entrance," according to the Senate art and history webpage.
The candy responsibility currently falls upon Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.
Several senators followed the rules with a particular request. CBS News' Grace Segers tweeted that Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, and Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina requested a glass of milk.
The dairy order follows impeachment trial rules according to a Senate precedent set in 1966 that says "there is nothing in the rules to prohibit the senator from requesting a glass of milk." Segers also tweeted that senators need to provide their own milk to the cloakroom, but it will be kept cold until they ask pages for it.
The Senate took a 30-minute recess for dinner at 6:35 p.m. ET. Politico reporter Jake Sherman tweeted that he saw "massive bags of Qdoba being carried into the Capitol," it's unclear who the bags of food were for.
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