Trump’s lawyers center their defense around attacks on Democrats

Old President TrumpDonald Trump: President of the CCNR Finance: Republicans who voted for the removal of Trump will not be penalized Blinken, the first UN call after the reinstatement of the United States in the Climate Agreements, GOP senators the WHO met with the Trump removal team to discuss the MORE strategyThe legal team closed its defense at the impeachment trial after speaking for less than four hours on Friday, accusing Democrats and the media of double standards.

Lawyers said Democrats had used violent rhetoric about social justice protesters, challenged Trump’s election college victory, and questioned the outcome of the last election.

They repeatedly aired images of the Republican Party’s biggest antagonists, including the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham, Trump DOJ officials, tried to block Giuliani’s search of records: The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by TikTok, Leader of the Senate Majority Charles SchumerChuck Schumer: Recently posted images show Schumer’s “failure” with Capitol riot police There’s more to the federal courts than the Supreme Court extension Five things Biden should do to deal with the climate emergency MONTH (DN.Y.), ponent Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiOn The Money: House panel advances portion of relief package that includes, 400 checks | Study: Increased Unemployment Benefits Did Little to Deter Unemployed Unemployed Leaders Try to Make GOP Think Twice About Trump’s Absolution Night Defense: Air Force Joins Army and Navy to Start Biden extremism highlights Trump’s emergency order for the MORE border wall (D-California) and Georgia 2018, Democratic candidate for governor, Stacey Abrams.

There were also celebrity appearances, with images of Johnny Depp and Madonna making incendiary comments about Trump.

“The dismissal article now in the Senate is an act of unfair and blatantly constitutional political revenge,” lawyer Michael Van Der Veen said. “This terrible abuse of the Constitution further divides our nation when we should try to come together around shared priorities.”

Democrats exploited the “false equivalence” and accused the Trump team of ignoring its central accusation that the former president intentionally assaulted his supporters to attack the Capitol building on Jan. 6.

“I think it looks like they’re erecting straw men and then tearing them down, instead of dealing with the fact that the events of Day 6 happened, including Donald Trump doing nothing to protect that place,” the senator said. Michael BennetMichael Farrand Bennet: Senate Democrats call for more resources for Capitol workers after the Jan. 6 attack. Centrist Democrats pose major problem for progressives PENDING ENERGY: DOJ will allow companies to pay back environmental projects to reduce fines | House Democrats are reintroducing MORE the green energy tax package (D-Colo.).

Trump’s defense team rested after using only about 3 hours and 15 minutes of the 16 hours allotted, indicating his confidence that the outcome is predetermined and that Republican Party senators will vote by acquittal.

“Members of the Senate, our country needs to get back to work,” lawyer Bruce Castor said. “I know you know. But instead, we are here. The majority party promised to unify and offer more relief to COVID, but instead they did. Today we will not spend most of our time, we of the defense, in the hope that these hours will be withdrawn and used to achieve the delivery of COVID relief to the American people.

The former president’s attorneys only briefly addressed the specific allegations of incitement, arguing that Trump did not direct the crowd to storm the Capitol and that his speech was protected under the First Amendment.

Lawyers said Trump’s statements were covered by the general protections offered by the Constitution and that a conviction would hold all lawmakers accountable for the actions of their party’s worst actors.

The defense said there is a high bar to convict someone for incitement and that previous Supreme Court cases require the speaker to call for violence directly.

Trump’s attorneys also accused the Chamber’s prosecution managers of intentionally editing or manipulating their evidence to make it appear that Trump wanted violence. They said Democratic prosecutors ignored Trump’s claims that his supporters should march on the Capitol “peacefully and patriotically.”

“Far from promoting insurrection … the president’s statements explicitly encouraged attendees to exercise their rights peacefully and patriotically,” Van Der Veen said. “Peaceful and patriotic protest is the antithesis of a violent assault on the nation’s Capitol.”

Those arguments came after Democrats spent two days showing off Trump’s old tweets and past speeches, in which he warned his followers that if they didn’t “fight like hell” they would lose their country.

Democrats smoked over allegations by Trump lawyers that they had taken their tweets and videos out of context.

They also accused Trump’s attorney, David Schoen, of lying when he claimed the defense had not previously received the dramatic new video footage of the siege. Never-before-seen videos of senators running for life and barely missing clashes with the angry mafia shook lawmakers when those responsible for the ouster showed the clips earlier in the week.

“Somewhere repeatedly showing a video of Democrats commenting completely out of context, Trump’s attorney filed a false accusation of selective editing to House managers and in doing so selectively edited the presentation of managers to make their point, “The Democratic aide said,” Schoen’s statement is incorrect. “

The preponderance of Trump’s defense focused on the argument that Democrats share the blame for fostering the current polarized political environment and that the dismissal was a final impetus to remove Trump once and for all from politics.

“The goal is to eliminate a political opponent to replace his judgment with the will of the voters,” Castor said.

“It’s about canceling 75 million Trump voters … It’s being asked to take over the culture of constitutional cancellation,” he added.

Trump’s lawyers have repeatedly played videos of Democrats urging their own supporters to march on this summer’s social justice protests or to confront Trump administration officials when they go out in public.

A long segment showed Democrats saying they will “fight” to win elections, in contrast to Trump’s calls for his supporters to “fight like hell.”

Another video showed Democrats, including the chief representative of the judicial dismissal. Jamie RaskinJamin (Jamie) Ben Raskin: GOP senators praise dismissal executives, but say Trump will be acquitted. The note: punish Trump or risk repeating it, warn Democratic managers trying to get GOP to think twice about Trump’s acquittal MORE (D-Md.), Answering Trump’s victory in the Electoral School from 2016, while another showed a montage of Democrats questioning past election results.

The clips were meant to make Democrats guilty of all the things they accuse Trump of doing.

“It seems that the position of the House manager … is that when Republican candidates for office claim that the election is stolen or the winner is illegitimate, this incites insurrection and the candidates should know,” he said. dir Schoen.

“But Democratic Party candidates for public office have the perfect right to claim that the election has been stolen or that the winner is illegitimate or to make any other outrageous claims they may … regardless of whether there is evidence to back it up. your claim “.

His. Martin HeinrichMartin Trevor Heinrich No Signs of Demand for Witnesses in Trump Process Centrist Democrats Pose Important Issue for Progressives Final Summary MORE (DN.M.) called this argument “false equivalence.”

“I mean you have a history, in one case, of encouraging violence through clear statements, but also dog whistles … in the face of a story that in no way resulted in deaths, deaths of police officers. police, riot behaviors. It’s not the same, “Heinrich said.

Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) Called the defense videos Trump’s “distraction” “inviting the crowd to Washington.”

“They’re trying to draw a dangerous, distorted equivalence,” he said.

His. Mazie HironoMazie Keiko HironoHillicon Valley: Democratic Senators Bill to Reform Section 230 | The labor board denies Amazon’s request to delay the vote of local unions Robinhood lifts restrictions on GameStop and other actions. Democratic senators present a bill to limit the protections of Section 230, nominated to the VA secretary, through a confirmation hearing MORE (D-Hawaii) called the attacks on Democrats “childish.”

“She was pathetic and amateurish,” he said.

Updated at 4:49 p.m.