Senators on both sides said it was difficult to relive the experience of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol in new evidence presented by dismissal managers detailing riot movements. On the second day of President Trump’s impeachment trial, House removal managers presented evidence that included security footage that was not previously considered part of his argument that Mr. Trump incited the crowd.
Evidence presented Wednesday showed how upcoming riots entered the Senate chamber while senators were still there. Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan said seeing the images made him “angry.”
“We know it would be an intense experience, for me at least it makes me very angry,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan’s Republican colleague, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, said she experienced multiple emotions as she relived her experience that day with a “more complete timeline.” She called it “disturbing.”
“I know I felt in the Senate chamber when I could hear those voices. I knew what it meant to run down that aisle with my colleagues,” Murkowski added. “I wasn’t fully aware of everything else going on in the building. So when you see all the pieces come together, just the full awareness of that, the enormity of that, that threat, not just for to us as people, but also legislators, but the threat to the institution and what Congress represents. It’s disturbing. “
Republican Whip Sen. John Thune told reporters it had been a “traumatic” day for many of those present and said the presentation by House administrators was a “harsh reminder of what happens when let something like this get out of hand. “
“I think they were very effective. They had a strong, strong presentation put together in a way that I think makes it quite appealing,” Thune said. Still, he did not say whether he believed Mr. Trump was responsible for the Jan. 6 incident, though he acknowledged that executives did “a good job of connecting the dots.”
New security images from January 6 showed U.S. Capitol police officer Eugene Goodman leading Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah to safety before meeting and leading the violent crowd. Romney told reporters it was the first time he had seen the video and did not know it was Goodman.
“Viously [it was] very disturbing to see the great violence to which our Capitol police and others are subjected, “Romney said.” It exhausts your heart and brings tears to your eyes. It was overwhelming and distressing. “
While acknowledging that the images were hard to see, some senators held firm that the Senate does not have the constitutional capacity to accuse Trump. Senator Ted Cruz said the images provided by House administrators were “horrible,” but indicated that he did not believe that line of argument was relevant to the trial.
“Today’s presentation has been powerful and emotional reviving a terrorist attack on our nation’s capital, but very little has been said about how the president’s specific conduct meets the legal norm,” Cruz said. However, executives spent much of the afternoon explaining how Mr. Trump’s words could have provoked his supporters.
Democrats also talked about the intensity of the images.
In a brief statement to reporters during the break, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he believed the directors’ presentation was “convincing.”
“It was a gut drain. The courage of our police officers is incredible. It was compelling. And I just hope our fellow Republicans have an open mind as they look at what we’ve seen today. The managers made an overwhelming case. convincing., as far as I’m concerned, “Schumer said.
Senator Mazie Hirono said “you can’t help but be terribly affected by what happened here.”
“I want to say to Republicans,‘ How do you live with yourself after seeing all this if you’re not going to condemn the man? Hirono said.