WASHINGTON (AP) – Prosecutors in Donald Trump’s impeachment process said Wednesday they would prove Trump was not an “innocent bystander,” but the “inciting head” of the deadly attack on the Capitol with the aim of revoking the his electoral loss against Joe Biden.
Opening the first full day of arguments, the House chief prosecutor said they would present evidence showing the president encouraged a crowd of protesters to head to the Capitol, then did nothing to curb the violence and he watched with “joy” as a crowd stormed the iconic building. Five people died.
“To us it may have seemed like chaos and madness, but that day there was a method to madness,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md.
The day’s proceedings took place after an emotional start to the trial left by the governor’s president on Tuesday after his lawyers handed in a meandering defense and failed to stop the trial for constitutional reasons. Some allies called for a new shock to their legal team.
Trump is the first president to face an indictment after leaving office and the first to be charged twice. The riot followed a rally during which Trump urged his supporters to “fight like hell,” words his lawyers say were simply a figure of speech. He is accused of “inciting insurrection.”
Senators, many of whom fled for security on the day of the attack, watched graphic videos on Tuesday of Trump supporters fighting police to attack the hallways, waving Trump flags. More video is expected on Wednesday, including some that hadn’t been seen before.
Democratic House prosecutors plan on Wednesday to use security images of the Capitol that had not been released before, as they argue that Trump provoked the insurgency, according to Democratic aides working on the case.
Security remains very close to the Capitol, cordoned off and patrolled by National Guard troops.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden would not attend the trial.
“Joe Biden is the president, he’s not an expert, he’s not going to comment on back-and-forth arguments,” he said.
Chamber dismissal managers described police officers mutilated in the chaos and riots marching in the same chamber where the trial was being held. Trump’s team rejected that the Constitution does not allow for dismissal at this late date.
This is a legal issue that could resonate with Senate Republicans eager to acquit Trump without being considered to condone his behavior.
Chief defense attorney, Bruce Castor he said he changed his planned approach after hearing the emotional openness of prosecutors and instead spoke conversationally with senators, saying the Trump team would denounce the “disgusting” attack and ” in the strongest possible way to denounce the riot police “. He appealed to senators as “patriots first” and encouraged them to be “cold” as they evaluated the arguments.
Trump’s attorney, David Schoen, directed the trial toward clearly partisan tones, arguing that Democrats were fueled by a “basic hatred” of the former president.
Republicans made it clear they were not happy with Trump’s defense, many of them saying they didn’t understand where he was going, especially Castor’s openness. Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, who voted with Democrats to move forward with the trial, said the Trump team did a “terrible job.” Maine Sen. Susan Collins, who also voted with Democrats, said she was “perplexed.” Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowki said it was a “missed opportunity” for the defense.
Six Republicans teamed up with Democrats to vote to continue the trial, but the 56-44 vote was far from the two-thirds threshold of 67 votes that would be needed for the conviction.
At a crucial time, Raskin told his personal story of taking his family to the Capitol that day to witness the Electoral College vote certification, only to have his daughter and son-in-law hidden in an office, fearing for their lives.
“Senators, this cannot be our future,” Raskin said through tears. “This cannot be the future of America.”
House prosecutors had argued that there is no “January exception” for a president to avoid dismissal when he leaves the door. Representative Joe Neguse, D-Colorado, referred to the corruption case of William Belknap, a secretary of war in the Grant administration, who was charged, tried, and eventually acquitted by the Senate after leaving office.
If Congress stands by, it would “invite future presidents to use their power without fear of accountability,” he said.
It seems unlikely that House prosecutors will call witnesses and Trump has rejected the request to testify. The trial is expected to continue over the weekend.
Trump’s second dismissal trial it is expected to diverge from the long and complicated affair of a year ago. In this case, Trump was accused of privately pressuring Ukraine to unearth brutality in Biden, then the Democratic rival of the presidency.
This time, the rally rhetoric of Trump’s “Stop the Steal” and the Capitol Storms played into the world.
The Democratic-led House quickly indicted the president, a week after the attack.