WASHINGTON (AP) – Spine-chilling security video from last month’s deadly uprising at the Capitol, including from rioters threateningly seeking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence, has become a major display in Donald Trump’s impeachment process as lawmakers prosecuting the case wrap up their opening arguments as to why Trump should be convicted of instigating the siege.
The House is continuing its case on Thursday, with Trump’s lawyers to launch their defense by the end of the week. Democrats plan to use their remaining hours of arguments to outline the physical and mental damage caused by the attack, discuss Trump’s lack of action as it unfolded, and give a final presentation on the legal issues involved, according to assistants working on the impeachment team. The assistants were given anonymity to review the arguments.
The footage shown during the trial, much of which has never been shown before, includes video of the crowd breaking into the building, distraught members of Congress receiving consolation, rioters hand in hand with the police, and audio from Capitol police officers begging for backup. It underscored how dangerously close the rioters were getting to the nation’s leaders, shifting the focus of the trial from an academic debate on the constitution to a raw retelling of the January 6 attack.
Videos of the siege have been circulating since the day of the riot, but the graphical compilation shown to senators on Wednesday amounted to a more complete story, a moment-by-moment retelling of one of the country’s most alarming days. It provided new details about the attackers, scenes of police heroes, and the whispers of desperation from the staff.
The footage features rioters roaming the halls singing ‘Hang Mike Pence’, some outfitted with combat gear. Outside, the crowd had set up a makeshift gallows. And at a dire moment, police were shown shooting and killing a San Diego woman, Ashli Babbitt, as the mob tried to break through doors near the House Chamber.
Pence, who had led a session to certify Joe Biden’s election victory over Trump – earning Trump’s disapproval – was rushed to safety, where he and his family took shelter in an office just 30 meters from the rioters. . Pelosi was evacuated from the complex while her staff hid behind doors in her suite of offices.
While most Senate jurors seem to have made a decision making Trump’s acquittal likely, they were locked in while the shocking video played in the room. Republican Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma bowed his head at one point, another GOP colleague placed his hand comfortably on his arm.
“They did it because Donald Trump sent them on this mission,” prosecutor Stacey Plaskett, the Democratic deputy representing the Virgin Islands, told them.
“President Trump laid a target on their back and his gang broke into the Capitol to track them down.”
Senator Mitt Romney, R-Utah, saw himself in the footage running down a hallway to avoid the crowd. Romney said he had not realized that Officer Eugene Goodman, who was hailed as a hero for luring rioters away from the doors of the Senate, had been the one to get him to safety.
“That was overwhelmingly painful and emotional,” he said.
Earlier in the day, prosecutors set out their case by methodically linking Trump’s verbal attacks on the election to the violence that resulted when hundreds of loyalists stormed the building. Trump did nothing to stop the violence and watched with “joy,” the Democrats said, as the crowd searched the building. Five people died.
The purpose of the presentation was to profile Trump not as an innocent bystander, but rather as the “chief” who spread lies about the election for months. Using evocative language meant to emulate the horrors of the day, they compared Trump to a fire chief who loves to see fires spread rather than go out, and compared his supporters to a cavalry at war.
“This attack would never have happened, but for Donald Trump,” said Representative Madeleine Dean, one of the impeachment managers, as she stifled the emotion. “And so they came, draped in Trump’s flag, and used our flag, the American flag, to hit and club.”
Thursday brings the second and final full day of House arguments, with Trump’s legal team using the lectern for up to 4 hours Friday and Saturday to present their defense. The difficulty faced by Trump’s defense team became apparent at the outset when they leaned on the process of the trial, unlike any other, rather than the substance of the case against the former president.
Prosecutors on Wednesday tried to preemptively refute arguments Trump’s lawyers have indicated are central to their defense, for example arguing that there was no First Amendment protections for the president’s encouragement of the rioters. His lawyers will likely blame the rioters themselves for the violence, but the Democrats’ presentation made it clear that they see Trump as ultimately responsible.
Trump is the first president to face impeachment lawsuit after leaving office and the first to be impeached twice. He is accused of “inciting insurrection”, although his lawyers say his words were protected by the First Amendment to the constitution and merely a figure of speech. Prosecutors argue that Trump’s words were not just freedom of speech, but part of “the big lie” – his relentless attempts to cast doubts about the election results. These began long before the votes were drawn, leading his followers to “stop the stealing,” although there was no evidence of substantial fraud.
While the house’s impeachment managers advocate holding Trump to account, the defense has argued that the constitution does not permit the impeachment of a president who is not in office. While the Senate rejected that argument in Tuesday’s vote to advance to the trial, the legal issue could resonate with Senate Republicans eager to acquit Trump without being seen approving his conduct.
While six Republicans joined Democrats to vote to continue the trial on Tuesday, the 56-44 vote was far from the two-thirds threshold of 67 votes needed for conviction.
Minds didn’t seem to change on Wednesday, even after senators watched the graphic video.
“I’ve often said that the president’s rhetoric is overheated at times, but this is not a referendum on whether you agree with anything the president says or tweets,” said Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who joined the leaders. the attempt to challenge the electoral college that certifies the elections. “This is a legal process instead.”
It seems unlikely that House prosecutors will call for witnesses, and Trump has turned down a petition to testify. The trial is expected to continue over the weekend.
Trump’s second impeachment trial is expected to deviate from the lengthy, complicated case of a year ago. In that case, Trump was accused of pressuring Ukraine to dig up dirt on Biden, then a Democratic rival for the presidency. It can be over in half the time.
The Democratic-led House quickly charged the president, a week after the attack.