The second impeachment trial of Donald J. Trump—this time for inciting an insurrection—kicks off Tuesday with four hours of argument on whether it’s constitutional to hold an impeachment trial for someone who is no longer in office. If that sounds familiar, it’s because the Senate already voted once on this question, with five Republicans joining Democrats to say yes, it is.
The quality of the Trump team’s argument was previewed when one of the lawyers they cited in a pre-trial document said they misrepresented his work.
Assuming Republicans once again join Democrats in moving the trial forward, the coming days will bring up to 16 hours of arguments over two days from both the House impeachment managers and Trump’s defense team, followed by up to four hours of questions from senators, possibly followed by debate over whether to allow witnesses and subpoenas.
At no point should we lose sight of the fact that this trial is about an insurrection aimed at preventing Congress from certifying the presidential election, in which five people lost their lives.
Live coverage continues here.
Things kick off with a procedural vote on the rules for the trial—that were agreed upon by the House Managers, Democratic and Republican senate leadership, and Trump’s legal team—so naturally the usual suspects will be voting no.
The sedition caucus voting against the rules for the trial: 11 Republicans voted Cruz (TX), Hawley (MO), Hagerty (TN), Johnson (WI), Lee (UT), Marshall (KS), Paul (KY), Rubio (FL), Scott (FL), Scott (SC) and Tuberville (AL)
The House managers are showing video evidence that stitches together what was happening in the House and Senate chambers with the approaching mob. The message to Republican senators: This is what was coming for you as you tried to do your jobs.
The video from the House managers is incredibly shocking and disturbing, even if you watched every moment of video coverage on Jan. 6.
Here’s part of the powerful video House managers are presenting. We’ll be posting it in full when available.
Raskin, after the video: "You ask what high crime…and misdemeanor is, that's what a high crime and misdemeanor is under the Constitution."
Raskin: "President Trump may not know much about the Framers, but they knew a lot about him."— emptywheel (@emptywheel) February 9, 2021
Raskin: "President Trump may not know much about the Framers, but they knew a lot about him."
Here’s the video presentation (shown in two parts). Graphic images and language:
You probably remember from the last time, C-SPAN cameras control the feed so you don’t see the whole chamber. But C-SPAN’s Craig Caplan is doing a good job providing info on what’s going on, and is worth a follow.
Many Senators are taking notes throughout the House managers presentation including Republican Collins and Democrats Shaheen and Menendez who are using their desks while others including Republicans Cassidy and Lankford are using their laps to write on their notepads.— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) February 9, 2021
Many Senators are taking notes throughout the House managers presentation including Republican Collins and Democrats Shaheen and Menendez who are using their desks while others including Republicans Cassidy and Lankford are using their laps to write on their notepads.
House Manager Joe Neguse: “Honestly, it’s hard to imagine a clearer example of how a president could abuse his office: Inciting violence against a co-equal branch, while seeking to remain in power after losing an election.”