House impeachment prosecutors will finish arguing their case Thursday that former President Donald Trump incited an insurrection. This will come a day after violent and disturbing video footage of the attack on the United States Capitol was shown urging senators to find him guilty in the Senate trial.
Never-before-seen footage from Capitol security cameras forced senators to relive the heartbreaking attack and face chilling new details about the incredibly serious threat it posed to everyone on Capitol Hill, including lawmakers.
Several Republican senators made it clear Wednesday night that they were shocked by what they saw, but still noted that they will not change the way they plan to vote as Trump appears to be heading toward acquittal at the end of impeachment.
Republican Senator Mike Braun of Indiana called the video “fascinating” and said it “is so difficult to accept both now and then.”
This is how Mitt Romney fled from the mob on Capitol Hill 0:56When asked if Wednesday’s presentation will affect how he will vote, Braun replied, “No, because I’ve seen, I think, most of it,” adding, “I think it’s good to review it, but I don’t know if that’s going to make a difference for any senator simply by seeing him again. ”
Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa said, “It’s a bit difficult to describe” when referring to the videos shown in the Senate, calling them a “horrendous situation.” But when asked if it would have an effect on his vote, he said, “Listen, I have to weigh all the information.”
The accusations to Trump in his second impeachment trial
In addition to broadcasting the video, prosecutors spent much of the first day arguing that Trump was involved in a months-long campaign of lying to his supporters that the election was stolen, sparking their fury at the false belief that the results were fraudulent. and they incited them to violently disrupt the peaceful transfer of power.
“Donald Trump committed a massive crime against our Constitution and our people and the worst violation of the presidential oath of office,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, lead impeachment prosecutor. “It must be condemned by the United States Senate.”
Once prosecutors complete their presentation Thursday, the former president’s legal team can begin their rebuttal.
Trump’s attorneys, Bruce Castor and David Schoen, will have up to 16 hours – over two days – to present a more detailed case against the impeachment charge starting Friday, though they are not expected to use all that time.
Washington on alert for Trump’s second impeachment trial 1:28On Wednesday, Castor downplayed the video for the trial, saying that House prosecutors did not connect the agitators’ actions to the former president.
‘I didn’t see anything that I didn’t know. We know that a mob came to the Capitol and wreaked havoc on the building. I’m waiting for them to connect him with President Trump and so far it hasn’t happened, “said Trump’s attorney.
When asked if he is concerned that the video will have an emotional impact on the jury, he said: “It would have an emotional impact on any jury. But there are two sides of the coin and we have not played ours.
Trump’s legal team has argued, so far, that House prosecutors are ignoring Trump’s comments on Jan.6 that the protests must be peaceful, while claiming that his call for supporters to fight was figurative political speech. protected by the First Amendment.
After the Trump team is complete, the Senate will have up to four hours to ask written questions of legal teams, and then prosecutors. of the House could request a vote to hear the witnesses. But it is not yet clear if they plan to do so.