Trump lawyers focus their defense around attacks on Democrats

Former President TrumpDonald Trump Finance Chairman NRCC: Republicans who voted for Trump’s impeachment will not be punished Blinken, UN chief shares first call after US rejoins climate accords, WHO GOP senators met with Trump’s impeachment team to talk more about strategyThe legal team closed the defense in the impeachment process after speaking for less than four hours on Friday, accusing Democrats and the news media of a double standard.

The lawyers said the Democrats themselves had used violent rhetoric about the social justice protesters, contested the victory of Trump’s Electoral College, and questioned the outcome of previous elections.

They repeatedly aired images of the GOP’s biggest opponents, including the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham Clinton Trump DOJ Officials Tried to Block Search for Giuliani Records: Report The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by TikTok – New Video of Riot makes many Senators nervous Hillary Clinton: Trump will be ‘acquittal’ because jury is more of his co-conspirators, Majority Leader of the Senate Charles SchumerChuck Schumer Newly released footage shows Schumer’s ‘near miss’ with Capitol rioters There’s More to Fixing Federal Courts Than Expanding the Supreme Court Five Things Biden Should Do to Address Climate Emergency MORE (DN.Y.), Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiOn The Money: House panel shot ahead part of the aid package that contains 400 checks | Study: Increased Unemployment Benefits Helped Unemployed Little to Get Jobs Managers are trying to make the GOP think twice about Trump’s acquittal. Night Defense: Air Force Joins Army and Navy in Eradicating Extremism | Biden axes Trump emergency order for border wall MORE (D-Calif.) And Georgia 2018 Democratic Governor Candidate Stacey Abrams.

There were also celebrity appearances, with footage of Johnny Depp and Madonna making inflammatory comments about Trump.

“The article of impeachment now before the Senate is an unjust and clearly unconstitutional act of political revenge,” said attorney Michael Van Der Veen. “This terrible abuse of the constitution divides our nation even more, as we should try to come together around shared priorities.”

Democrats overturned the “false equivalence” and accused the Trump team of ignoring their central claim that the former president had deliberately stirred up his supporters to storm the Capitol on January 6.

“I think it feels like they are setting up front men and then taking them down, rather than dealing with the events of the 6th taking place, including Donald Trump doing nothing to protect this place,” said Sen. Michael BennetMichael Farrand Bennet Senate Democrats Demand More Resources for Capitol Workers After Jan. 6 Attack Centrist Democrats Are Big Problem for Progressive Nights OVERNIGHT ENERGY: DOJ Takes Business Again To Pay For Environmental Projects To Reduce Fines | House Democrats reintroduce green energy tax package in MORE (D-Colo.).

Trump’s defense team rested after using only about 3 hours and 15 minutes of the 16 hours allotted time, signifying their confidence that the outcome is predetermined and GOP senators will vote to acquit.

“Members of the Senate, our country needs to get back to work,” said lawyer Bruce Castor. ‘I know you know that. But we’re here instead. The majority party pledged to unite and provide more COVID assistance, but they did so instead. We will not take most of our time today, our defense, in the hope that you will take these hours back and use them to get COVID aid to the American people. “

The former president’s lawyers only briefly addressed the specific allegations of sedition, arguing that Trump had not ordered the crowd to storm the Capitol and that his speech was protected under the First Amendment.

The lawyers said Trump’s comments were under the extensive protections of the constitution, and a conviction would hold all lawmakers accountable for the actions of the worst actors in their party.

The defense said there is a high bar for convicting someone for sedition, and that previous Supreme Court cases require the speaker to call for violence directly.

Trump’s lawyers also accused the House impeachment managers of deliberately editing or manipulating their evidence to make it look like Trump wanted violence. They said Democratic prosecutors ignored Trump’s remarks that his supporters should march “ peacefully and patriotic ” to the Capitol.

“Far from fostering insurgency… the president’s comments explicitly encouraged those in attendance to exercise their rights peacefully and patriotically,” said Van Der Veen. “Peaceful and patriotic protest is the antithesis of a violent attack on the Capitol.”

Those arguments came after Democrats spent two days showing Trump’s old tweets and his earlier speeches, warning his supporters that if they didn’t “fight like hell” they would lose their country.

Democrats were angry at the accusations made by Trump’s lawyers that they had taken his tweets and videos out of context.

They also accused Trump attorney David Schoen of lying when he claimed the defense did not get the dramatic new video footage of the siege ahead of time. The never-before-seen videos of senators running for their lives and barely missed clashes with the enraged mob shocked lawmakers when impeachment managers released the clips earlier this week.

“Somewhere in between repeatedly showing video of Democrats’ comments cut completely out of context, Trump’s attorney made a false charge of selective editing to the House executives, and in doing so, he selectively edited the presentation of the managers to make his point, “The Democratic assistant said,” Schoen’s statement is incorrect. “

The preponderance of Trump’s defense has centered on the argument that Democrats share the blame for fueling the current polarized political environment and that impeachment was a final push to remove Trump from politics once and for all.

“The goal is to eliminate a political opponent to replace their judgment with the will of the voters,” said Castor.

“This is about canceling 75 million Trump voters … It calls for a takeover of the constitutional cancellation culture,” he added.

Trump’s lawyers repeatedly played videos of Democrats urging their own supporters to join last summer’s social justice protests, or to confront Trump officials when in public.

A long segment featured Democrats saying they would “fight” to win elections, in contrast to Trump’s calls on his supporters to “fight like hell.”

Another video showed Democrats, including chief impeachment manager Rep. Jamie RaskinJamin (Jamie) Ben Raskin GOP Senators Praise Impeachment Managers But Say Trump Will Be Acquitted The Memo: Punish Trump Or Risk A Repeat, Warn Democrats Managers Try To Make GOP Think Twice About Trump Acquittal MORE (D-Md.), Who contested the 2016 victory of Trump’s Electoral College, while yet another showed a montage of Democrats questioning previous election results.

The clips were intended to cast Democrats as guilty of all the things they accuse Trump of.

“It seems the house manager’s position… is that when Republican candidates claim the election has been stolen or the winner is illegal, it amounts to inciting a rebellion, and the candidates should know,” Schoen said.

But Democratic Party candidates for publicly elected office have every right to claim that the election was stolen or that the winner is illegal, or to make any other outrageous claim they can … regardless of whether there is evidence is to support their claim. “

Her. Martin HeinrichMartin Trevor Heinrich No Signs Of Demand For Witnesses In Trump Trial Centrist Democrats Are A Big Problem For Progressive In Short MORE (DN.M.) called that argument a ‘false equivalence’.

‘I mean, in one case you have a history of encouraging violence through, you know, overt statements, but also dog whistles … versus a history that has in no case resulted in killing, killing police officers, riots . It’s just not the same, ”said Heinrich.

Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) Called the defense videos a “distraction” from Trump “inviting the crowd to Washington.”

“They are trying to draw a dangerous and distorted equality,” he said.

Her. Mazie HironoMazie Keiko HironoHillicon Valley: Democratic Senators Announce Bill To Section 230 | Labor Council to Reform Denies Amazon Request to Postpone Voting in Local Unions | Robinhood Lifts Restrictions on GameStop, Other Stock Democratic Senators Enters Bill to Restrict Section 230 Protection VA Secretary Nominee Speeding Through Confirmation Hearing MORE (D-Hawaii) called the attacks on Democrats “childish.”

“It was pathetic and amateurish,” she said.

Updated at 4:49 PM