Photo: JIM LO SCALZO / EFE
The indictment of the House of Representatives in the second political trial of Donald Trump ended this Thursday giving its arguments against the former president. And he did so with the warning that if he is acquitted there could be another act of massive violence like the one on January 6 on Capitol Hill.
In a third session that journalists in the room described as more relaxed, Democratic prosecutors wanted to make it clear that the comments and messages from Trump are linked to the assault on the Capitol and tried to dismantle the argument of the former president’s defense that the impeachment is unconstitutional.
Trump messages and assault on the Capitol
Although audiovisual material did not play as central a role as in the previous sessions, the representatives reproduced statements by Trump’s own followers to try to show that the Republican leader incited the violent crowd.
“More and more insurgents admit that came by direc tion of Trump , ”said Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colorado). DeGette cited several of the extremists who later told authorities that they believed the former president wanted them to go to the Capitol.
In interviews, on videos, on recordings. The same recurring idea arises from arrests: they believe that they were acting under the wishes and orders of the then president of the United States.
“ The president of the United States invited us ,” he shouted with a megaphone a protester outside the Capitol. “They came here because the president told them to do it,” said DeGette, who is one of the Democratic prosecutors for the impeachment .
International responsibility: “The world looks at us”
Democratic representative Joaquin Castro resorted to the “law and order” argument that Republicans have referred to so much and emphasized the reactions of other countries to what happened on Capitol Hill. .
“For the adversaries of the United States, there was no greater proof of the fallibility of Western democracy that the place of the United States Capitol shrouded in smoke and besieged by a crowd whipped by its president ”, the Texan read from an international media.
Castro also mentioned the United States allies who, according to him, have shown their support for the country in the midst of the turmoil . In this sense, he quoted the Canadian Prime Minister when he said that “what we witnessed (on January 6 in Washington) was a assault on democracy by violent protesters incited by the current President and other politicians “.
Dismantle arguments of Trump’s defense
Rep. Joe Neguse, Democrat of Colorado, said trying to support Trump’s messages based on his First Amendment right is “distracting.” since the lawyers of the former president rely on a version of events that has little to do with reality .
Another prosecutor, Jamie Raskin, who has taught constitutional law, said the First Amendment does not apply to Trump’s case because it does not protect against incitement to violence and because the oath taken by public officials creates a higher standard than that of ordinary citizens. Furthermore, Raskin assured that the Republican’s actions “endangered the constitutional order itself.”
The argument of the violation of Trump’s due process was also refuted . Representative Ted Lieu said that the Lower House functions as a grand jury and that “it is receiving all the due process” in the Senate.
The warning of a future threat
Democratic prosecutors also referred to the idea that many Republicans repeat about the objective of impeachment a time the president is already out of the White House. Representatives Jamie Raskin and Ted Lieu said that if Trump is not convicted and is not barred from running for president again, what happened in January could happen again .
“I’m not afraid that Donald Trump will run again in four years,” Lieu said. “I’m afraid he’s going to do it again and lose. Because I could do this again ”, he predicted.
There is not much chance that the 17 Republicans who Democrats need to convict Trump join them after the argument of House prosecutors. Yet both Wednesday’s and Thursday’s sessions (and impeachment in general) send a direct message to Americans and historians about the Trump presidency and abrupt government transition .
