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“I thought I would follow my president. I did what we were called to do. He asked us to travel there. He asked us to be there ”. Jennifer Ryan was there when supporters of Donald Trump wanted to carry out their “assault” on the Capitol on January 6 after months of announcements. Now the Texas realtor is on trial. His public requests for clemency were not heard during official Trump days. Instead, one of the accusers read Ryan’s statements to reporters in the impeachment process. Colorado Rep. Diana DeGette wanted to show what many of the attackers had thought after months of consuming Trump’s propaganda: “They came here because the president told them to,” DeGette said.
The main concern of prosecutors on the third day of impeachment in the Senate was to prove this connection between Trump’s words and the crimes of January 6. To do this, they again showed videos, quoted from judicial files and recalled interviews that the rioters had given. Time and again it became clear that many of the right-wing Trump supporters apparently assumed they were acting on their will when they attacked the Capitol and the politicians inside. The goal was to reverse the election result or create so much chaos and destruction that Trump, as it were, became the owner of the state of emergency.
The impeachment team, made up of members of the House of Representatives, played a video in which a rioter repeatedly yelled over a megaphone that the president had invited him. Democrats also argued that far-right attacks on Michigan’s parliament were harbingers of the failed uprising in Washington. In late April 2020, armed opponents of coronavirus protection measures protested in Lansing and marched on Capitol Hill. Not even two weeks earlier, Trump had endorsed Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s opponents on Twitter, with the words “Free Michigan.” In early October, thirteen men were arrested on suspicion of terrorism. Among other things, they had planned to kidnap Whitmer and hold vigilante trials. The assault in Michigan was a breakthrough from Jan. 6, Maryland Chief Attorney Jamie Raskin said.
Rather than call for calm, Trump continued to fuel the situation after his defeat, while wanting to instigate Georgia’s Interior Minister Brad Raffensperger to manipulate the election outcome. Even after warnings from security authorities, Trump did nothing to slow the escalation, said Joe Neguse, a representative from Colorado. “The authorities and the media warned Trump that these people were armed and ready for real violence. He knew it, ”Neguse said. Trump created the “powder keg” at his rallies.
“I’m afraid he will play again and lose”
On the final day of the impeachment, Democrats wanted to emphasize the political significance of the trial. Amid the pandemic and with a new president on the verge of announcing vaccine successes, not all observers were sure Trump’s impeachment still had any value. Raskin responded that the goal was to avoid damage to democracy. After all, it is not a criminal case and the culprit does not spend a day in prison. The means of impeachment are there to punish public officials and keep them out of power if they commit dangerous crimes against the republic.
He is not afraid that Donald Trump will run again in four years, said prosecutor Ted Lieu, who represents a California constituency in the House of Representatives. “I’m afraid he will run again and lose.” Then Trump could repeat exactly what happened on January 6 and worse, Lieu said. Raskin asked who seriously believed Trump was incapable of repeating himself. Given the five deaths in the riot, he warned: “Would you bet the lives of more police on it? Would you bet on the safety of your family? Would the future of democracy bet on that? “
Starting Friday, Republicans and Trump’s attorneys will begin presenting the defense. They have up to 16 hours for two days to do this, but they noted that they wanted to be much shorter. The senators can then ask questions of both parties. Then it is discussed and votes if witnesses are called. Trump’s lawyers said again Thursday that Democrats had not provided evidence of a connection between their client and the Jan.6 attackers. David Schoen, one of the legal representatives, said it was an insult to continue showing the American people the photos and videos of the traumatic events that Trump ultimately clearly condemned. Meanwhile, three Republican senators serving on the jury have come under fire for meeting with Trump’s lawyers. Ted Cruz from Texas, Mike Lee from Utah, and Lindsey Graham from South Carolina sat in a room on Capitol Hill with Schoen and Bruce Castor. You just shared your thoughts, Cruz said afterward.
Trump himself was also not heard on the third day of the Senate proceedings. The US media reported that the former president played golf in West Palm Beach that afternoon. In New York, for the first time in nearly five years, bystanders were able to walk unhindered down Fifth Avenue at 56th Street.
