As President Donald Trump's lawyers laid out their case for exonerating the president in the impeachment trial, several Democratic Senate candidates met Saturday morning in downtown Louisville to lay out their own cases for why Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Trump should both be removed from office.

Maggie Jo Hilliard, Charles Booker, Eric Rothmuller and Mike Broihier — who are among the 10 Kentucky Democrats hoping to win the May primary and then face McConnell in November's general election — each took plenty of jabs during Saturday's forum at the powerful Senate leader.

The forum, held at the soon-to-officially-open Roots 101 African-American Museum, 819 W. Main St., was hosted by two grassroots political groups, Together We Will Louisville and Indivisible Kentucky.

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Saturday's forum came as Trump's attorneys in Washington, D.C., took just two hours to defend their client for the first time in the Senate impeachment trial.

House Democrats had presented their case over the previous three days, using almost all of the 24 hours allotted to them to outline their case that Trump abused the power of his office through his dealings with Ukraine and obstructed Congress' investigation.

Trump's defense team attacked House Democrats' credibility and accused them of omitting exculpatory evidence. It will resume its presentation Monday.

McConnell has been accused of taking the oath to do "impartial justice" during the impeachment trial after weeks earlier saying he was "not an impartial juror." Some Republicans have pointed out that numerous Democrats, including those running for president, are just as partial when it comes to impeaching Trump.

The six other registered Democratic candidates could not make Saturday's forum due to various reasons.

That included Amy McGrath, who had a scheduling conflict and is viewed by many as the front-runner in the race to square off against McConnell thanks in no small part to national party support and impressive fundraising totals.

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Each candidate on Saturday agreed that Trump should be removed from office over his dealings with Ukraine, but the forum's more intimate setting also gave lesser-known contenders like Hilliard a chance to introduce themselves to the over 40 attendees.

Hilliard, a litigation attorney who lives in Louisville, took the first turn at the mic and explained how her candidacy is focused on "democracy, climate care, health services and justice."

"We have sent Mitch McConnell to Congress for 34 years," Hilliard said. "Does anyone feel like he's working on our behalf, the 99%?"

She said Kentuckians hold McConnell, given his legal background, to "a high standard" during the impeachment trial but that he is not doing his job.

Hilliard also did a call-and-response with the audience by saying things like "hello workers," "hello veterans" and "hello reasonableness" before having the attendees repeat, "bye, Mitch" after each phrase.

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Rothmuller, also of Louisville, said he is a "normal guy" who has "worked two to three jobs" most of his life and never ran for elected office. But despite his lack of political experience, Rothmuller said he "recognizes that our system is broken."

"It's one that works for the very few in this country," Rothmuller said, adding that income inequality is rampant thanks to "legalized bribery."

Rothmuller, who said he supports progressive policies such as Medicare for All, tuition-free college and raising the minimum wage, told attendees he would vote to remove Trump from office.

But he added that does not see that happening given the Republican majority in the Senate. As a result, Rothmuller wondered whether Democrats have spent too much political capital on impeachment instead of focusing on other issues.

Booker, a freshman lawmaker representing Louisville in the Kentucky House of Representatives, did not hold back in denouncing McConnell's actions on impeachment and said the senator "is screwing" people of all political affiliations across Kentucky.

Booker began his turn at the mic by repeating a tactic he has done in previous speeches and describing a "troubling crisis in our country."

"This is a crisis of confidence, of credibility and of integrity, and the country is indeed at a crossroads," Booker said. "And the question we have to ask ourselves is, are we going to pursue the search for truth, or will we dodge, weave and evade the truth?"

Booker then explained to the crowd how he had more or less repeated the words that McConnell spoke in 1998 during former President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial.

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"i've said it before that hypocrisy has a way of showing itself," Booker quipped.

He then rattled off an array of issues facing the commonwealth and said Trump is "kicking" the nation's democratic values "off the cliff right now" while McConnell "is shining his shoes as he does it."

"Just as we need Trump dumped ... Mitch McConnell has really got to go," Booker said to applause. "He is at the center of all the obstruction, of all the corruption. He is the swamp ... and if he doesn't go, we can't get on to all these other important issues because he's in our way."

Broihier, a Marine veteran and Lincoln County farmer, was the last candidate to take the mic. Not focusing as much on impeachment, Broihier instead said "hardcore Trump supporters are getting what they want" due to Democrats fighting amongst one another.

That is especially clear among the 2020 presidential candidates vying for the Democratic Party's nomination to take on Trump, Broihier said, citing tension between the Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren camps.

"This plays directly into Mitch McConnell's hands," Broihier said of the intraparty fighting. "What happens when we fight each other? We lose. We lose every single time."

Broihier closed by harping on unity instead of "cussing each other on social media."

"We are fighting for the soul and the future of our constitution and our republic," Broihier said. "Promise me that we are going to be shoulder to shoulder, bring the vote home, get rid of Mitch McConnell and get rid of Donald Trump."

Before he faces off against a Democrat in November, McConnell must also deal with a handful of Republicans trying to unseat him in this year's primary (though it would be a bit of a stretch to say any of the challengers pose a serious threat).

The Louisville grassroots groups that hosted Saturday's forum said they plan on holding similar events with Kentucky's Democratic candidates for Senate in the coming weeks.

Reach Billy Kobin at bkobin@courierjournal.com or 502-582-7030. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/subscribe.