Hakeem Jeffries tells Senate in impeachment proceedings they should subpoena Baseball Hall of Fame after Jeter vote

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) provided the Senate impeachment trial with a humorous anecdote early Thursday evening, jokingly suggesting that they should subpoena the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Jeffries, one of the seven House managers for the trial, told the chamber that he was approached by a man in earlier in the day who asked the congressman if he was aware of the “latest outrage.” 

Unsure of what the man was talking about, Jeffries asked the man to elaborate. The man responded: “Someone voted against Derek Jeter on his Hall of Fame ballot.”

The story drew a good amount of a laughter from the Senate chamber and breathed a moment of levity into the impeachment trial, which has largely been a solemn affair.

“Certainly we hope we can subpoena [former national security advisor] John Bolton, subpoena [acting White House chief of staff] Mick Mulvaney, but perhaps we can all agree to subpoena the Baseball Hall of Fame,” Jeffries joked.

Jeffries represents portions of Brooklyn and Queens. Jeter, who was elected into Cooperstown earlier this week, was the New York Yankees’ longtime shortstop. Out of the 397 baseball writers who voted for the Hall of Fame this year, only one person left Jeter off their ballot.

The House managers are on their second day of opening arguments. They have the rest of Thursday and then all of Friday to complete their opening statements.