Democrats arguing that Donald Trump should be found guilty of inciting the invasion of the U.S. Capitol will focus on the damage caused by the riots and the former president’s role in stoking the mob on Thursday.
The House of Representatives has accused Trump, a Republican, of inciting insurrection by urging thousands of supporters to march on Capitol Hill on January 6, the day Congress convened to certify the election victory of Democrat Joe. Biden.
Representatives serving as prosecutors on the case in the US Senate spent much of Wednesday recounting the events that led to the riots and highlighting the threat to former Vice President Mike Pence.
On Thursday, they plan to illustrate the “terrible cost” of the riots and Trump’s “role in rallying, inciting and inflaming the insurgents,” said a House aide.
On Wednesday, senators saw security camera footage showing crowds of Trump supporters marching through the halls of the Capitol yelling “Hang Mike Pence!” and looking for the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Democrat Nancy Pelosi.
Previously unseen video showed inside the Capitol as rioters smashed windows and fought with police, arriving within 100 feet of the room where Pence took refuge with his family. The mob had installed a gallows outside.
The attack on the Capitol resulted in the deaths of five people, including a police officer.
Trump had repeatedly said that Pence had the power to stop the certification of election results, although he did not.
“The mob was looking for Vice President Pence,” said Representative Stacey Plaskett, narrating images that showed the crowd threatening Pence and searching for Pelosi. “President Trump put a target on their back and then his mob stormed the Capitol to hunt them down,” he added.
Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro noted that during the attack, Trump tweeted that Pence “did not have the courage to do what should have been done.” A video showed the rioters broadcasting Trump’s tweet to each other over megaphones.
Representatives claimed that Trump planted the seeds of the unrest by fomenting violence and making claims without proof that the election was stolen long before Jan.6. They also said it did little to stop the violence as it spiraled out of control, despite pleas from many Republicans.