Senators at Donald Trump’s impeachment trial have resorted to playing with children’s toys to tackle boredom during the lengthy hearings.
Republican Richard Burr handed out fidget spinners to his colleagues before yesterday’s proceedings began.
The small toy is designed to be spun between a finger and thumb.
Other senators have been spotted doing crossword puzzles, making paper airplanes and reading books.
All electronics have been banned in the chamber during the trial, leaving many restless.
At the same time, some senators have struggled to stay awake. Jim Risch, a Republican, was seen slumped motionless with his eyes closed at his desk.
A spokesman for the Idaho senator told the Wall Street Journal he was just listening closely “with his eyes closed or cast down”.
The president is accused of abusing his power by pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political rival Joe Biden, and in an impassioned speech to end yesterday’s hearing, lead prosecutor Adam Schiff told senators: “You know you can’t trust this president to do what’s right for this country.”
But some Republicans said that they had heard it all before. “It seems like Groundhog’s Day,” Wyoming senator John Barrasso told reporters. “It is the same thing, day after day after day. As if you could impeach by repetition.”
