Washington – House Democrats leading the indictment of former President Donald Trump will present their case for conviction on the second day of their indictment trial, showing what aides say are new video evidence showing the scope of the attack on the Capitol on 6 January.
The Senate was convened Tuesday for the inauguration of the trial, with arguments from House officials and Trump’s legal team about the constitutionality of judging a former president in the upper house. Senators voted 56 to 44 to find that the Senate has jurisdiction over the case, with six Republicans joining the 50 Democrats.
Led by Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland, the House’s prosecution plans to use “extraordinary” images from Capitol security cameras that have not been made public to illustrate the scope of the January 6 attack and defend Trump’s condemnation. , senior aides to the team of layoff managers said Wednesday.
“It will provide new insights into the extreme violence that everyone suffered, the risk and threat that additional violence could have caused to many, except the brave actions of the officers, and it really demonstrates the scope of what Donald Trump unleashed. about Capitol, ”an aide said.
Trump was indicted by the House while still in office for a crime of inciting insurrection for his conduct around the January 6 Capitol attack, in which a pro-Trump crowd stormed the halls of the Congress and temporarily halted the electoral count. votes. The then president had addressed the crowd of supporters earlier in the day, urging them to “fight like hell.”
During Tuesday’s session, Democrats set a schedule of events prior to the Capitol attack, showing senators a dramatic video montage of violent crowds crossing the Capitol, intertwined with Trump’s remarks and tweets. Raskin urged senators to find the constitutional trial and ultimately vote to convict, arguing that if Mr. Trump’s conduct “is not a contested crime, there will be no such thing.”
Mr. Trump’s legal team struggled to present a compelling argument against holding the trial, with a lawyer offering a serious one-hour monologue that eluded central issues. Lawyers received reprimands from Republican senators after concluding the arguments, and the former president himself was said to be angry at his team’s performance.
Wednesday’s trial session will feature Raskin and those responsible for the removal of the House who will present their case for conviction. Starting at noon, they will have eight hours to argue their case and can continue eight more hours on Thursday if necessary. Following his arguments, Trump’s team will have the same time to present his side.