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A divided United States Senate voted to proceed with Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment trial after an emotional opening day in which prosecutors argued that the former president was solely responsible for inciting the deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol. The United States, while the defense warned that the proceedings would further divide a divided nation.
After nearly four hours of debate in the same chamber that was invaded by pro-Trump rioters on January 6, the senators, now sitting as jurors and sworn in to impart “impartial justice”, they voted 56 to 44 on the question of whether there was a constitutional basis for prosecuting an accused former president. Six Republicans joined all Democrats in an early victory for the impeachment that undermined one of the central pillars of Trump’s defense.
Trump is the first president to face impeachment after leaving office, and the only president in U.S. history to be indicted twice. But the assault on Capitol Hill, an event that a House impeachment manager called “the drafters worst nightmare come true,” shook the nation and the world as loyalists to the former president stormed the headquarters of the US government. in an effort to prevent Congress from formalizing Joe Biden’s victory. Although they ultimately failed, the internal attack left five people dead and the United States’ commitment to a peaceful transfer of power clouded.
Nearly uniform Republican opposition to holding a trial strongly suggested that there were not enough votes in the chamber to convict the president of a platformless period, even after he blatantly sought to reverse his electoral defeat with unfounded claims of a stolen election. . At least 17 Republicans would have to join all the Democrats to find Trump guilty of felonies and misdemeanors. A conviction would allow the Senate to disqualify him from holding office again.
Last month, only five Republicans joined Democrats in defeating an attempt to dismiss the impeachment charge as unconstitutional. Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana, was the only member to change his vote, leaving open the possibility that some lawmakers might still change their minds.
Republicans have largely rallied around the argument that the Senate did not have the authority to carry out the trial because the impeachment was intended to lead to the removal of a president from office, a position that has allowed them to avoid weigh whether Trump’s conduct amounted to impeachment. offense. But that view has been challenged by constitutional scholars, including prominent conservative attorney Charles Cooper, who argued the claims were unfounded.
Citing these scholars, writings from the nation’s editors, and historic precedents, House impeachment managers warned that allowing Trump to escape punishment would establish a “January exception” for presidents to betray their oaths of office.
House Democrats opened the trial with a chilling and dramatic video of the Capitol siege that threatened the lives of former Vice President Mike Pence, members of Congress and everyone working in the building that day. The video was drawn from extensive visual recordings by rioters, reporters and witnesses to create a reel that juxtaposes the president’s incendiary speech to supporters at a rally near the White House with scenes of chaos and violence on Capitol Hill. There, Trump encouraged his supporters to “fight like hell” and march to the Capitol to make their voice heard before lawmakers certified Biden’s victory.
The shouts and chants from the video echoed through the chamber, where a little more than a month ago the rioters sat on the dais and swayed from the balcony. He concluded with a tweet from Trump, sent just moments after the building was secured on January 6: “These are the things and events that happen when a sacred and overwhelming electoral victory is so brutally and unceremoniously stripped of the greats. patriots who have been wronged for so long. Go home with love and in peace. Remember this day forever! “
“You wonder what crime and misdemeanor is according to our constitution? That is a felony and a misdemeanor, ”Congressman Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the leader of the House Democrats prosecuting the case, told the silent camera after playing the video. “If that is not a chargeable crime, then there is no such thing.”
In its rebuttal, Trump’s defense team argued that the impeachment was not only unconstitutional. but “it would open new and greater wounds throughout the country.”
In accusing Democrats of abuse of power, Trump’s attorney David Schoen said the party was fueled by his “hatred” of Trump and his determination to see him indicted. He played a compilation of videos of Democratic politicians calling for Trump’s impeachment as early as 2017.
“This trial will tear this country apart, perhaps as we have only seen once before in the history of the United States,” he said, warning: “If these proceedings go ahead, everyone will look bad.”
In a meandering defense that reportedly It left Trump enraged, his chief lawyer Bruce Castor denounced the assault on the Capitol as “disgusting”, praising the senators as “patriots” and concluded by suggesting that if the former president had committed a crime, the punishment should be a criminal process, not a impeachment.
“There is no opportunity that the president of the United States can run rampant in January at the end of his term and just go free,” Castor said. “The Justice Department knows what to do with those people.”
The trial will resume on Wednesday with the substantive arguments on the only charge of “incitement to insurrection.” Each party has 16 hours to present their case and the trial is expected to last until the holiday weekend. Prosecutors have vowed to present new evidence to show that Trump was “uniquely and directly responsible” for the attack on Capitol Hill.
Trump’s lawyers have argued that the president’s claims about voter fraud and his fierce rhetoric to the crowd on January 6 were not only protected by the First Amendment, but were similar to the language used by Democrats to rally their own supporters. . In pre-trial briefings, they emphasized their instruction that the crowd march “peacefully” toward the Capitol.
Trump, who left Washington for his Mar-a-Lago resort on the day of Biden’s inauguration, has rejected a request by Democrats to testify voluntarily at his trial. It seems unlikely that House administrators will call witnesses, appealing instead to the collective memories of senators who lived through a harrowing afternoon.
Concluding the Democrats’ argument for the day, Raskin offered an emotional and deeply personal account of his experience that day. Still grieving for the loss of his son, who had committed suicide a few days earlier, the former constitutional law professor brought his family to work with him, eager for them to witness “this historic event: the peaceful transfer of power in the United States. United”.
When the mutiny broke out, they parted ways. His daughter and son-in-law hid in an office, fearing for their lives, Raskin recalled in a shaky voice. When it was all over and they were reunited, her daughter said she never wanted to go back to the Capitol, a place known as the House of the People.
“Senators, this cannot be our future,” he said through tears. “This cannot be the future of America.”
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