Senators Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton appear to have broken the no phone rule as senators struggle without their devices

Rosie Perper,Rosie Perper

Jan 23, 2020, 17:53 IST

Senators Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton appear to have broken the no phone rule as senators struggle without their devices

US senators had a hard time following the strict no-phone policy while listening in on 12-hour days of arguments during the impeachment trial.
The Senate prohibits members from bringing cell phones into the chamber. But Sens. Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton were both caught with their phones on Wednesday.
Other senators, including Amy Klobuchar and Patrick Leahy, managed to stick to the rules but appeared to struggle greatly.
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US senators had a hard time following the strict no-phone policy while listening in on 12-hour days of arguments during the impeachment trial.

The Senate prohibits members from bringing cell phones into the chamber. There's even a storage unit next to the entrance for senators to put their devices into.

But that didn't stop Sen. Ted Cruz from defying the ban.

On Tuesday during the first day of the trial, Cruz' account tweeted during the proceedings. CNN political analyst Joe Lockheart went on Twitter to rant about the apparent violation.

"Senators on the floor are sworn to silence and have no electronic devices," Lockheart wrote. "So how is this Senator tweeting? Did he sneak a phone in. Is he willing to go to prison? Or is the tweet from someone other than Cruz."

Cruz did not take the accusation lightly and responded to Lockheart with a photo of a cell phone next to the words "come and take it."

But Cruz was caught on Wednesday after his phone went off on the Senate floor.

He wasn't the only senator who couldn't cope with a digital detox.

Sen. Tom Cotton also appeared to have broken the ban. According to Huffington Post reporter Ryan J. Reilly, Cotton kept his phone in his pocket towards the end of proceedings. According to Reilly, he fiddled with his during proceedings and then took it out of his pocket on the floor as the night came to a close.

Other senators stuck to the rules but appeared to struggle greatly.

Sen. Patrick Leahy rushed to get his phone during the first recess break, according to Politico. He even did an impression of Gollum from "Lord of the Rings," stroking his phone while saying "Oh, my precious."

A Huffington Post reporter also spotted Sen. Amy Klobuchar pacing inside the Democratic cloakroom during the proceeding, clutching her phone.

Some senators also reportedly wore Apple Watches, seemingly violating the electronics ban.

"It's a little hard," said Sen. Mazie Hirono told Huffington Post. "But it makes us focus on what's going on."