House Democrats categorically rejected the former’s legal argument on Monday President Trump
Donald Trump Dominion Spokesman: Mike Lindell, CEO of MyPillow ‘begs to be charged’ DC officers defending Capitol, Sicknick’s family honored at Super Bowl US will rejoin UN Human Rights Council: MORE reportdefense team, and dismiss allegations that he has no responsibility for last month’s deadly attack on the Capitol.
In a legal letter filed by the nine Democratic impeachment executives, lawmakers allege that Trump incited the crowd of his supporters who carried out the January 6 attack and that Congress has every right to condemn the former president to prevent him from once again holds a high position.
“The House maintains that every statement in the Article of Impeachment is true, and that all affirmative and legal defenses set forth in the Answer are completely unfounded,” the managers wrote.
The filing is just the latest in the back-and-forth exchange of legal documents between the two parties ahead of the Senate impeachment trial, which opens Tuesday.
House Democrats, accompanied by 10 Republicans, impeached Trump on Jan. 13, exactly one week after the siege of the Capitol. In the weeks leading up to the attack, Trump had made false claims that rampant voter fraud “stole” the election from him. Hours before the siege, he reinforced those empty accusations, urging thousands of his followers to march to the Capitol, where Congress confirmed the victory of its opponent, the president. Joe Biden
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The attack that followed forced the evacuation of lawmakers in both chambers and resulted in multiple deaths, including that of a Capitol Police officer and a rioter who was gunned down by another officer while attempting to enter the speaker’s lobby just outside the House. storm into the floor.
Trump’s defense team, led by David Schoen and Bruce Castor, gave a lengthy legal briefing earlier Monday, arguing that their client cannot be convicted because the constitution does not allow the impeachment of former presidents.
Trump’s lawyers also allege that the former president was well within his First Amendment rights, both to question the outcome of an election process he deemed corrupt and to urge his supporters to protest those results. If some in the crowd later turned violent, the lawyers added, it’s only because they misinterpreted Trump’s message.
“The real truth is that the people who criminally violated the Capitol have done so of their own accord and for their own reasons, and are facing criminal charges,” the defense said.
They asked for the charges to be “immediately” dropped.
Democrats have a very different view of Trump’s guilt, and their only impeachment article accuses the former president of “inciting insurgency.”
In their Monday letter, the impeachment managers, led by Rep. Jamie Raskin
Jamin (Jamie) Ben RaskinSunday Show Preview: Budget Resolution Clears Path to 0.9 Trillion Stimulus; Senate prepares for impeachment trial READ: Trump lawyers reject impeachment request Senate Republicans don’t want Trump to testify in impeachment trial MORE (D-Md.), Claiming that Trump may face impeachment lawsuit as the conduct in question took place while he was still in the White House.
“Presidents take a sacred oath that binds them from their first term to their very last,” they wrote. “There is no ‘January exception’ to the constitution that allows presidents to abuse power in their last days without being accountable.”
The Democrats also rejected the First Amendment defense, saying Trump’s language – particularly at the January 6 rally before the siege – was inherently violent and could only be interpreted as a call to arm against his political opponents in the Capitol.
When President Trump demanded that the armed, angry mob at his Save America Rally “ fight like hell ” or “ you won’t get any more land, ” he didn’t urge them to set up political action committees on “ election security ” . in general, ” wrote the Democrats.
“The House did not charge President Trump for having an unpopular political opinion,” she added. “It accused him of deliberately instigating violent rebellion against the government.”