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There is little chance of convicting Trump (Nicholas Cam / AFP)
Democratic prosecutors on Wednesday accused former US President Donald Trump, on the second day of his Senate trial, of being the “main instigator” of the January 6 assault on Congress and the violence that accompanied it.
According to the laws applicable to the trial of presidents before the Senate, the prosecution and defense each have 16 hours in a two-day period to present their arguments.
Nine Democrats are handling the prosecution’s case and are confident of presenting shocking video recordings on their mission.
While they have little chance of persuading two-thirds of the Senate to convict Trump, which is the number required by the Constitution, the plaintiffs seek, at the very least, to sway public opinion in sessions that are broadcast live across the United States.
“The evidence will show you that former President Trump was not an innocent bystander,” said Chief Prosecutor Jimmy Ruskin, and that he “stepped down from his role as commander-in-chief of the military and became a major instigator of a dangerous rebellion. “
Representative Joaquín Castro, a member of the prosecution, said the assault on Congress did not come “out of nowhere,” and stressed that Trump had fueled the anger of the protesters “for months.”
The great lie’
“The president is the one who sent them,” he added, in the same room the billionaire’s Republican supporters stormed before tampering with offices moments after the emergency evacuation of Vice President Mike Pence and the senators.
He said Trump “committed a major crime against our constitution and our people, and it is the worst violation of the presidential oath in the history of the United States,” adding, “Therefore, he must be condemned in the Senate.”
If convicted, Democrats will immediately demand a second absolute majority vote, claiming he has lost political capacity.
Democrats described Trump’s disinformation campaign about the presidential election, without providing any evidence, as a “big lie.”
Representative Ted Liu considered that Trump “has regressed his non-violent options to stay in power” after his appeals to the electoral results were rejected.
His colleague, Stacy Blasket, said that Trump turned to “groups that nurtured him for months”, such as the “Broad Boys”, in which members of the assault on Congress participated, recalling that the president had called them in October to “stay in alert.”
Trump currently resides in his luxury residence in Florida and will not appear before the Senate to testify. And after the suspension of his Twitter account, he preferred to stay out of the spotlight, perhaps as part of his efforts to prepare for his return to the political arena to contest the 2024 elections, something he had hinted at.
Remove Trump from political life
David Shawn, one of the billionaire’s Republican defense attorneys, said “this trial” is “politically exploited” and “will tear the country apart.”
He added: “Many Americans see him for what he is: an attempt by a group of politicians to remove Donald Trump from political life.”
Trump still has strong support among the Republican Party, and his chances of acquittal are wide, and the position could be withdrawn early next week. Your lawyer has 16 hours to present his arguments.
“we love you”
On Tuesday, Democrats seemed determined to remind the 100 senators on the jury in this trial, as well as Americans, of the violence that took place that day, which resulted in the deaths of five people.
They showed a recording of about ten minutes in length that shed light on the sequence of events that led to the assault on Congress:
- Trump’s speech in which he called thousands of his supporters gathered in front of the White House to go to Congress to “demonstrate in a peaceful and national way.” “You will not get our country back if you are weak,” he said.
- The opening of a joint session of both houses of Congress to confirm the victory of his opponent, Joe Biden.
- Scenes of protesters crossing police barriers, storming the headquarters of Congress and wandering in search of parliamentarians.
They recalled that two hours later, Trump released a video recording in which he reiterated that the elections were “rigged.” As he called on the protesters to return to their homes, he told them: “We love you.”
These statements were recovered Wednesday by Raskin, who said that we believed that the president “would reassure the Americans … but this is what he said: (I know you are hurt, our elections were stolen)”.
In a related context, the Georgia state attorney announced Wednesday that she had opened an investigation into Trump’s efforts to change the results of the Nov.3 election by pressuring local officials to manipulate the count.
On Monday, a written request from Trump’s attorney said that holding the former president responsible for acts of violence committed by “a small group of criminals” who “completely misunderstood him” is “simply absurd,” and emphasized that Trump “urged them to remain. in peace. . “
On Wednesday, Rep. Madeleine Dean responded by saying, “We have verified his 11,000-word speech. The president only used the phrase” peaceful “once in exchange for more than 20 uses of the phrase” fight. “
The security measures in the vicinity of the Congress headquarters still recall the acts of violence with the spread of elements of the National Guard and high barriers.
On Tuesday, the discussions centered on the constitutionality of the trial of a president in the Senate with the aim of removing him once his term ends, which is a precedent in the history of the United States.
Trump’s lawyers consider the trial to be “absurd and unconstitutional” because the former president has become a “normal citizen” and, therefore, cannot be removed from the presidency.
Democrats say Republicans are emphasizing this argument to avoid taking a stance on Trump’s behavior.
In the end, the matter was decided by an absolute majority on this matter. In addition to the 50 Democratic members of the House, six Republicans voted in favor of the constitutionality of the trial and thus proceed.
(Brush from France)
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