Staff Reporter.
Former President Trump impeachment trial continued for the fourth day on Friday as his lawyers have the chance to rebut the House impeachment managers’ case for his conviction. Mr. Trump’s lawyers have up to 16 hours to make their case, and his lawyer David Schoen said Friday that he didn’t believe they would be wrapping on Friday.
Democratic House impeachment managers on Wednesday and Thursday sought to link Mr. Trump’s words and actions prior to and on January 6th to the assault on the U.S. Capitol.
“If you think this is not impeachable, what is? What would be?” said Representative Jamie Raskin, the lead House impeachment manager. “If you don’t find this a high crime and misdemeanor today, you have set a new, terrible standard for presidential misconduct in the United States of America.”
The impeachment managers presented never-seen-before video evidence, media reports and court documents to demonstrate how some members of the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol believed they were acting at the direction of the president.
“They truly believed that the whole intrusion was at the president’s orders, and we know that because they said so,” Representative Diana DeGette said. “This was not a hidden crime. The president told them to be there and so they actually believed they would face no punishment.”
The Democrats deployed a litany of Mr. Trump’s comments in interviews and at political rallies over the years to make the case that he deliberately incited his supporters to resort to violence in a desperate attempt to remain in power.
“January 6 was a culmination of the president’s actions, not an aberration from them,” Raskin said. “The insurrection was the most violent and dangerous episode so far in Donald Trump’s continuing pattern and practice of inciting violence.”
The managers also warned that failure to convict Mr. Trump would set a dangerous precedent that future presidents — or Mr. Trump himself — could exploit.