Trump’s impeachment kicks off with video of violent seizure of Capitol

Protesters outside the Capitol Jan. 6, 2021. Francis Chung/E&E News

With a video about the violent invasion of the Capitol, where five people died, the Senate began the impeachment of former President Donald Trump that will last at least two weeks.

The ex-president is accused of “inciting insurrection” for the attack on the Capitol , so the video is part of his speech at the rally, but images are interspersed with the increase in violence by MAGA followers.

Also included was part of the speech of the then Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell (Kentucky), who acknowledged that former President Trump “spread conspiracy theories” after you lost the November 3 election.

Representative Jamie Raskin (Maryland), who serves as the House’s main “prosecutor”, introduced the images that are part of the arguments against the former president, who is heard saying “we fight like hell” and then: “Let’s go to the Capitol.”

The leader of the majority in the Senate, Chuck Schumer (New York), announced this Monday the rules that will govern the process, where the accusing party, that is, representatives of the House, and the defense of former President Trump, will have up to four hours to present their arguments on the constitutionality of the trial .

Representative Raskin criticized President Trump’s defense for claiming that the Senate cannot carry out the impeachment process. He said that this ran the risk of allowing January 6, the date of the invasion, to become “the future” of the United States.

“They want to cancel the trial before evidence is presented , “ Riskin lamented. “His argument is that if he commits an imputable crime in the last weeks in office, he does so with constitutional impunity. He has his way”.

Joe Neguse (Colorado), other prosecutors or House managers, who are in charge of presenting the case against the former president, spoke about what he experienced on the day of the attack, but emphasized that Trump could not “incite the insurrection” and leave.

“What we experienced that day, what our country experienced that day, is the editors’ worst nightmare come true … Presidents cannot incite insurrection in their last weeks and then leave as if nothing had happened,” he considered.

Expert Jesse Lee told this newspaper that senators could call in Capitol police officers who faced the violent mob , as well as state election officials, if they seek to address the former president’s unfounded accusations about electoral fraud.

The final arguments will have a maximum duration of four hours divided equally; there will be a time of deliberation between senators before casting their vote.

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