Donald Trump’s lawyers said Friday that Democrats had not provided evidence that the former president incited the deadly riots on the U.S. Capitol last month and that they had used his second impeachment trial to settle political scores.
Trump is being tried in the United States Senate on the charge of inciting the January 6 insurrection by supporters who stormed the headquarters of Congress in Washington to prevent lawmakers from certifying the election victory of Democratic President Joe Biden, lo which resulted in the death of five people, including a Police Officer.
Trump’s lawyers argued that his comments, including a spirited speech that day urging supporters to “fight like hell” to stop certification, were protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees the right to freedom. freedom of expression.
“To claim that the president in any way desired, desired or encouraged illegal or violent behavior is an absurd and monstrous lie,” said Michael van der Veen, one of Trump’s attorneys.
The Senate closed its session at 6:29 pm A final vote for or against to convict could come Saturday.
In discussions this week, Democratic members of the House of Representatives showed videos and shared tweets that they said made clear that Trump had set the stage for violence by falsely claiming that the election results were fraudulent and inciting his supporters with his rhetoric long before January 6. .
They said he summoned the mob to Washington, gave the crowd his marching orders and did nothing to stop the violence unfolding on television. His only request to act peacefully did not absolve him, they said.
“You rob the bank, and as you walk out the door, you yell, ‘Respect private property!’ That’s not a defense to rob the bank, ”said Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin.
Democrats are unlikely to get a conviction, as few Republican senators have spoken out against Trump, who remains popular with Republican voters.
The Trump team played a roughly 10-minute video showing prominent Democrats using the word “fight” in political speeches.
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Trump’s attorney David Schoen said, addressing Democrats. “It’s a word that people use, but please stop the hypocrisy.”
Trump’s defense team also described the impeachment as little more than the result of a political witch hunt by Democrats who had been trying to ensnare Trump for four years.
Senators sought to confirm whether Trump knew that Vice President Mike Pence, who was presiding over the certification, was in danger from the attack on Capitol Hill when he sent a Twitter message criticizing him.
Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville said he had told Trump by phone that Pence had already been evacuated from the Senate for his safety.
Trump’s lawyers gave conflicting answers.
“I’m sure Trump was concerned,” van der Veen said.
The defense case followed two days of video presentations by the nine House Democrats who were serving as prosecutors.
They showed videos of the former Republican president encouraging violence at his rallies, repeating his claims of voter fraud and urging his supporters to gather in Washington on January 6 for a rally that he said would be “wild.”
NON-PROBABLE SENTENCES
The Democratic-controlled House impeached Trump on January 13. Conviction in the 100-member Senate requires a two-thirds majority, meaning that at least 17 Republicans would have to challenge the former president.
“I’m eager to see what my Republican friends do,” Biden told reporters at the White House on Friday.
Van der Veen said there was a double standard at the heart of the prosecution’s case, arguing that some Democrats had “encouraged and supported” the violence that erupted in some anti-racism protests across the United States last summer without facing legal consequences.
“They have clearly shown that their opposition to mobs and their opinion on the use of the National Guard depends on their political views,” said van der Veen, a last-minute addition to the defense team that sued Trump in August in a case separate on mail. vote.
On Tuesday, the Senate voted largely along party lines that impeachment was constitutional even though Trump’s term ended on January 20. Six Republican senators supported the Democrats.
If Trump is acquitted, the Senate could decide to censor him or even vote to ban him from holding public office again. When asked Thursday about the possibility of pursuing the latter option, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the decision would have to wait until the end of the trial.
Senator John Thune, the No. 2 Republican in the House, indicated that a vote of no confidence could be in the cards.
“I have seen at least a couple of resolutions that I think could attract some support,” Thune told reporters. He added that he did not believe that an effort to prevent Trump from returning to office under the 14th Amendment would go nowhere.
Neither side has so far announced an intention to call witnesses, leaving senators on track for final arguments and a vote as early as Saturday.
Trump is the first US president to be charged twice and the first to face trial after leaving office. His first impeachment trial, stemming from his efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate Biden, ended in an acquittal a year ago in what was then a Republican-controlled Senate.
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She is a freelance blogger, writer, and speaker, and writes for various entertainment magazines.