drnadig/iStockBy LIBBY CATHEY and MICHELLE STODDART, ABC News
(WASHINGTON) — Former President Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment trial is taking place in the Senate. He faces a single charge of incitement of insurrection over his actions leading up to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Here is how events are unfolding Thursday. All times Eastern:
Feb 11, 4:38 pm
Raskin asks senators to practice ‘common sense’
After roughly 10 hours of arguments, lead House impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., wrapped opening arguments for the group acting as prosecutors in the Senate trial against Trump.
“Mr. President, members of the Senate, first of all, thank you for your close attention and seriousness of purpose that you’ve demonstrated over the last few days. Thank you, also, for your courtesy to the House managers as we’ve come over here — strangers in a strange land — to make our case before this distinguished body,” Raskin said with a light smile.
He reminded senators of their oaths to render impartial justice and walked them through their constitutional duties. He also reminded them that the Senate has already voted that the trial is constitutional, so their final votes on conviction should be based on the facts his team presented, not on whether they agree with the trial.
“Senators, I’ve talked a lot about common sense in this trial, because I think, I believe that’s all you need to arrive at the right answer here,” Raskin said. “When Tom Payne wrote ‘Common Sense,’ the pamphlet that launched the American Revolution, he said that common sense really meant two different things.”
“One, common sense is the understanding that we all have, without advanced learning and education, common sense is the sense accessible to everybody. But common sense is also the sense that we all have in common — as a community. Senators, America, we need to exercise our common sense about what happened,” Raskin said, reaching out to Republicans in a divided Washington.
“Let’s not get caught up in a lot of outlandish lawyers’ theories here. Exercise your common sense about what just took place in our country,” he said.
Feb 11, 4:28 pm
Senate adjourns as House managers conclude opening arguments
The House managers have finished laying out their case against Trump and the Senate has adjourned for the day.
The trial will resume at noon on Friday, when Trump’s legal team will deliver their argument.
Feb 11, 4:18 pm
Raskin closing out House managers’ opening arguments
Lead House manager Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said the managers are wrapping up their opening arguments in Trump’s second impeachment trial.
“We think we have been able to tell you everything we need to say,” Raskin said, noting that the managers are 5-6 hours under the time allotted to them.
-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders and Benjamin Siegel
Feb 11, 4:15 pm
Trump ‘literally’ directed rioters to Congress to fight: Neguse
As House managers begin to wrap up their opening arguments, House manager Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., reviewed the evidence they presented throughout their opening argument.
“He directed them here to Congress. He quite literally, at one part of that speech, pointed at us. He told them to fight like hell and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore. And here’s the thing, that wasn’t metaphorical, it wasn’t rhetorical,” Neguse said. “He’d already made it perfectly clear that when he said ‘fight,’ he meant it.”
The House managers focused on Trump’s remarks at the rally shortly before the attack on the Capitol, again showing videos of what he told the crowd, saying that he ‘knew’ they would act on violence.
“He was told by law enforcement and all over the news that these people were armed and ready for real violence. He knew it, I mean, he knew it perfectly well that he had created this powder keg at his rally. He knew just how combustible that situation was. He knew (the) people before him who had prepared, who are armed and armored. He knew they would jump to violence at any signal, at any sign, from him that he needed them to fight, that he needed them to stop the steal,” Neguse said. “And we all know what happened next.”
Neguse also played several recordings of Republicans, both during and after the attack on the Capitol, in which they directly called on Trump to put a stop to the violence or blamed him for it — in an attempt to illustrate that some Republicans have publicly and directly already tied Trump to the riot.
“We humbly, humbly, ask you to convict President Trump for the crime for which he is overwhelmingly guilty of,” Neguse said. “Because if you don’t, if we pretend this didn’t happen, or worse, if we let it go unanswered, who’s to say it won’t happen again?”
Feb 11, 4:12 pm
Pelosi to introduce legislation to award Congressional Gold Medal to Capitol Police
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said earlier Thursday that she is planning to introduce legislation that would award the Capitol Police and law enforcement personnel who protected the Capitol on Jan. 6 with the Congressional Gold Medal.
“The service of the Capitol Police force that day brings honor to our Democracy, and their accepting this Gold Medal will bring luster to this award,” she wrote in a letter to her colleagues.
The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest honor that the lawmakers can bestow.
“We must never forget the sacrifice of Officer Brian Sicknick, Officer Howard Liebengood, MPD Officer Jeffrey Smith and the more than 140 law enforcement officers who sustained physical injuries, or the courage of heroes such as Officer Eugene Goodman,” Pelosi wrote in her letter.
She also asked her fellow members to co-sponsor the legislation.
In response, acting U.S. Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman said in a statement that the department is “humbled and appreciative.”
“To have our police officers’ bravery acknowledged at a time when they’re experiencing tremendous emotions and exhaustion is a gift. We have too many heroes to count and we are humbled Congress may recognize them in this way,” Pittman said in the statement. “From the cards and letters of support we’ve received from around this great country to this incredible award, we are deeply humbled and appreciative.”
Pittman also acknowledged the Metropolitan Police Department officers who supported Capitol Police on Jan 6.
-ABC News’ Mariam Khan
Feb 11, 3:56 pm
Raskin says Senate will set ‘terrible standard’ if Trump’s acquitted
Lead House impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said the defense was close to wrapping its arguments as, he argued, they have already established “with overwhelming evidence” that Trump should be convicted and barred from office for “incitement of insurrection.”
“If we have proven to you the conduct that we’ve alleged in this article, then President Trump has indeed committed a high crime and misdemeanor under the Constitution,” Raskin said. “Indeed, it is hard to think of a greater or more dangerous offense against the republic than this one.”
Raskin said he hoped senators would agree with him that if a president does incite a violent insurrection against the government, he or she can be impeached for it — in fact, Raskin argued, it would be a constitutional crime and impeachment is the correct course of action.
House impeachment manager Rep. Raksin: “There are hundreds of millions of citizens who can be president. Donald Trump has disqualified himself and you must disqualify him too.” https://t.co/F8p7pEn9H3 pic.twitter.com/7rnX4kSWU9
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 11, 2021
“What is impeachable conduct if not this? I challenge you all to think about it,” he asked the Senate chamber. “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.”
He said Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., would take the chamber through the evidence once more because “we don’t want it to be said, ‘They never proved this,’ or, ‘They never proved that.”
“Because my magnificent team of managers has stayed up night after night after night through weeks to compile all of the factual evidence, and we have put it before you. And we have put it before all of you in this public trial,” Raskin said. “Because we love our country that much.”
Feb 11, 3:48 pm
Lieu pushes back on Trump’s lawyers’ “meritless” argument about due process
House manager Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., pushed back on arguments put forward by Trump’s legal team that the House acted too quickly and denied Trump due process. Lieu explained that the House had sufficient evidence and good reason to pass the article of impeachment quickly.
“When you see a crime committed in plain view, prosecutors don’t have to spend months investigating before they bring charges. I note that in this case, in fact, hundreds of people have been arrested and charged by prosecutors for the violence on January 6th,” Lieu said. “There was no reason for the House to wait to impeach the man at the very top that incited the violence.”
Lieu also called the defense’s argument that Trump was denied due process “meritless,” saying that due process was playing out in the Senate chamber during the trial.
“Let me just conclude that you all are going to see and have seen a full presentation of evidence by the House and you’re going to hear a full presentation by the president’s attorneys. You’re going to be able to ask questions. The Senate has the sole power to try all impeachments,” Lieu said. “President Trump is receiving any and all process that he is due right here in this chamber.
Feb 11, 3:39 pm
Raskin says free speech does not create ‘superpower immunity’
Lead House impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., continued the argument that Trump’s rhetoric is not under blanket protection from the First Amendment and further, that this trial is “not a free speech question.”
“The First Amendment does not create some superpower immunity from impeachment for a president who attacks the Constitution in word and deed, while rejecting the outcome of an election he happened to lose,” Raskin said. “If anything, President Trump’s conduct was an assault on the First Amendment and equal protection rights that millions of Americans exercised when they voted last year, often under extraordinarily difficult and arduous circumstances.”
Raskin went on to argue the United States “wouldn’t have free speech or any other rights if we didn’t have the rule of law, peaceful transfer of power, and a democracy where the outcome of the election is accepted by the candidate who lost.”
“We had it all the way up until 2020,” Raskin added, hitting the point that Trump is the first president to not acknowledge the power of his successor.
House impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin: “If we don’t draw the line here, what’s next? What makes you think the nightmare with Donald Trump and his…violent mobs is over?”https://t.co/7IQmTdmVgt #impeachmenttrial pic.twitter.com/AkX1IY74Yu
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 11, 2021
Preemptively striking against arguments of free speech Raskin — as he did on Wednesday — said Trump’s behavior “is not even close to the proverbial citizen who falsely shouts ‘fire’ in a crowded theater.”
“He is like the now proverbial municipal fire chief who incites a mob to go set the theater on fire, and not only refuses to put out the fire, but encourages the mob to keep going as the blaze spreads,” Raskin said. “We would hold that fire chief accountable. We would forbid him from that job ever again. And that’s exactly what must happen here.”
Feb 11, 3:25 pm
Neguse argues that 1st Amendment does not cover Trump’s actions
House manager Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., refuted arguments proposed by Trump’s legal defense that Trump’s speech was free political speech protected by the First Amendment. Neguse argued that Trump’s free speech defense does not align with the facts of the events.
“To hear his lawyers tell it, he was just some guy at a rally expressing unpopular opinions,” Neguse said. “They would have you believe that this whole impeachment is because he said things that one may disagree with.”
House impeachment manager Rep. Neguse on Trump’s defense strategy: “They are concerned not with the facts that actually occurred. The facts that we’ve proven. But with an alternative set of facts, where Pres. Trump did nothing but deliver a controversial speech at a rally.” pic.twitter.com/ZnAlw76nUv
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 11, 2021
Neguse also argued that free speech does not protect against insurrection, and that not holding Trump accountable would be a dangerous precedent for Congress to set.
“No president, no matter their politics or the politics of their followers, conservative, liberal, or anything else, no president can do what President Trump did. Because this isn’t about politics. It’s about his refusal to accept the outcome of the election and his decision to incite an insurrection. And there’s no serious argument that the First Amendment protects that,” Neguse said. “And it would be extraordinarily dangerous for the United States Senate to conclude otherwise.”
Feb 11, 3:21 pm
Castro highlights damage of attack to international standing
Following a break, Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, returned to the Senate floor to address the harm he said was inflicted upon American national security on Jan. 6 and the longstanding damage to the country’s international standing.
“Every foreign adversary considering attacking this building got to watch a dress rehearsal, and they saw that this Capitol could be overtaken,” Castro said.
He then played a video of Republican Sen. Marco Rubio on Fox News saying the riot exposed a huge vulnerability on buildings across the U.S. government. Rubio said in the clip, “You are sitting out there watching this, you are saying it’s not that hard to get into the Capitol and maybe it’s not hard to get into the White House or somewhere else.”
Castro also played video of rioters ransacking the desks that senators are currently sitting at in the chamber — taking confidential information and screaming inside the Senate chamber, “Let’s vote on s—!”
He said Trump has handed the Chinese government “an opening to create a false equivalency between Hong Kongers protesting for democracy and violent insurrectionists trying to overthrow it.”
“To convict Donald Trump would mean that America stands the rule of law no matter who violates it. Let us show the world that Jan. 6, was not America. And let us remind the world that we are truly their North Star,” Castro said.
Feb 11, 3:12 pm
To change GOP minds, might require ‘game-changing’ witness: Abrams
ABC News Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott discussed how inside the chamber, nearly 15 seats of GOP senators were empty as Democratic House managers made their case against Trump.
.@rachelvscott on Senate chamber amid impeachment trial: “About 15 Republican seats spotted inside that were empty…You have some Republicans who appear to already have their minds made up.” https://t.co/BY7pGN4vv8 pic.twitter.com/sXB7ucFTji
— ABC News (@ABC) February 11, 2021
“You have some Republicans who appear to already have their minds made up,” Scott said.
In order to convict the former president, every Democratic senator and 17 Republicans would have to vote in favor. ABC News’ Chief Legal Analyst Dan Abrams said that to change the minds of some Republican senators, it might require a witness who offers something “game-changing.”
.@danabrams on calling witnesses: “Unless they’ve got a witness who can really offer something that is game-changing, something where someone says ‘Donald Trump did or didn’t do this on or around January 6th,’ I don’t think it’s a real chance that that’s going to happen.” pic.twitter.com/fhzjwTF9tB
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 11, 2021
“Unless they’ve got a witness who can really offer something that is game-changing, something where someone says ‘Donald Trump did or didn’t do this on or around January 6th,’ I don’t think it’s a real chance that that’s going to happen,” Abrams said.
Feb 11, 3:00 pm
Shattered glass on Capitol doors being replaced, preserved
The shattered glass panes on the doors to the U.S. Capitol Rotunda from the East Front — known as the Columbus Doors — were replaced with new glass Thursday after sustaining damage during the Jan. 6 riot, according to the Architect of the Capitol’s office.
“Moving forward, we are looking at options to display a collection of items from Jan. 6,” spokesperson Laura Condeluci told ABC News.
The shattered glass was in place during Biden’s inauguration, and he could be seen walking past the panes.
Lawmakers have discussed various ways to display the glass and other vestiges of the attack around the Capitol.
“It would be a good thing to preserve some evidence of the destruction of the building. So that 150 years from now, as people tour the building, they’ll say, ‘Ah, this was where that insurrection occurred,'” Sen. Mitt Romney told ABC News recently.
-ABC News’ Benjamin Siegel and Trish Turner
Feb 11, 2:47 pm
Senate trial resumes
The Senate has returned from a roughly 35-minute break to resume arguments from the House impeachment managers.
Feb 11, 2:36 pm
Trump lawyer says former president is ‘very upbeat’ but ‘offended’ to be tied to riots
David Schoen, a member of Trump’s legal defense team, appeared on Fox News during the Senate trial. Schoen argued that it will not help healing to “show and reshow” the tragedy of the Jan. 6 riot.
“I have always said that this trial never should have happened, and if it happened, it should be as short as possible given the complete lack of evidence and the harm that this is causing to the American people,” Schoen said.
As the House managers continue to lay out their allegations, Schoen offered an assessment of Trump’s mood.
“The president is very upbeat, he has condemned the violence, and doesn’t in any way want to be associated with what happened in this violent incident,” Schoen said. “He has condemned the people involved and obviously quite offended at being tied into it.”
Schoen told reporters that he thinks the House managers are “making a movie,” saying they haven’t “in any way” tied the riots to Trump.
-ABC News’ Benjamin Siegel
Feb 11, 2:27 pm
Cicilline highlights pain for people of color at Capitol
Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., in focusing his arguments on the harm inflicted inside Capitol walls on Jan. 6, noted the terror aimed particularly toward people of color at the complex.
“For many of the Black and brown staff, the trauma was made worse by the many painful symbols of hate that were on full display that day. Insurrectionists waved Confederate flags and hurled the most disgusting racial slurs at dedicated Capitol workers,” he said.
“Then after all that, these same workers — many of them people of color — were forced to clean up the mess left by mobs of white nationalists,” Cicilline continued.
He recalled how one member of the Capitol janitorial staff reflected on “how terrible he felt when he had to clean up feces that had been smeared on the wall, blood of a rioter who had died, broken glass, other objects, strewn all over the floor. He said, ‘I felt bad. I felt degraded.'”
House impeachment manager Rep. David Cicilline: “A sign paying tribute to John Lewis was also shamefully destroyed, and only a broken piece of the memorial was found on the ground next to a trash can. The photo of Mr. Lewis was gone.” https://t.co/I2OFqpLUuA #impeachmenttrial https://t.co/aZnS1xL19g
— ABC News (@ABC) February 11, 2021
A mural paying tribute to civil rights icon, the late Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., was “shamefully destroyed,” Cicilline said, and “only a broken piece of the memorial was found on the ground next to a trash can,” he said.
Quoting an article from Buzzfeed, Cicilline recalled two Black police officers saying they were called racial slurs repeatedly as they fought off white nationalists on Jan. 6.
“Is this America? What is your answer to that question? Is this OK? If not, what are we going to do about it? These people matter. These people risked their lives for us. So I ask you respectfully to consider them — the police officers, the staff of this building — when you cast your vote,” Cicilline said.
Feb 11, 2:12 pm
Senate takes short break
The Senate is taking a short break before continuing with arguments from the House impeachment managers.
Feb 11, 2:09 pm
Cicilline focuses on trauma to lawmakers
Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., focused his arguments on the impact the Jan. 6 attack had on Capitol Hill lawmakers — including the senators in the chamber who are acting as jurors in Trump’s trial.
“I’d like to now turn to the harm that this has caused — here in these walls as a result of the conduct on Jan. 6,” Cicilline said. “Never did any of us imagine that we or our colleagues would face mortal peril by a mob riled up by the president of the United States — the leader of the free world. But we did. All because Donald Trump could not accept his election defeat.”
Cicilline played news reports of lawmakers describing the terror and trauma they suffered in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack — and also quoted reporters, Capitol Hill staffers and employees who said they feared for their lives.
“Many members wondered if they’d see their family again. As the rioters reached the Capitol, they were outnumbered, trapped inside. They were calling loved ones to say good-bye,” he said.
Cicilline also noted how the attack happened in the middle of a global pandemic but said social distancing was “impossible as we were hiding for our lives in cramped quarters for long periods of time.”
Feb 11, 1:51 pm
DeGette says that threats of violence from Trump supporters ‘is not over’
House impeachment manager Rep. Diana DeGette argued that Trump’s supporters still represent a threat, adding that threats of violence during the inauguration were prevented by the increased security posture.
“In fact, after news broke of law enforcement’s preparedness for further attacks, leaders of the Proud Boys, the Three Percenters militia, the organizers of the Million MAGA March, they all now told their followers to avoid protests up to or leading up to the inauguration for fear that law enforcement would crush them and arrest rioters who showed up,” DeGette said. “Thank God there wasn’t an insurrection sequel here on January 20th.”
DeGette insisted that this impeachment should not be to “punish” Trump, but to prevent further violence from his supporters.
“Impeachment is not to punish but to prevent. We are not here to punish Donald Trump. We are here to prevent the seeds of hatred that he planted from bearing any more fruit. As my colleague showed, this was not the first time that President Trump inspired violence, but it must be the last time that he’s given a platform to do so. This must be our wake-up call. We must condemn it,” DeGette said. “Because the threat is not over.”
Feb 11, 1:27 pm
Lieu says Trump doesn’t show remorse, only shows ‘defiance’
Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., asserted that Trump failed to show remorse for how his behavior incited the riots. Lieu cited Trump’s failure pay his respects to U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick who died during the assault on the Capitol.
Rep. Lieu: “A violent mob murdered a police officer. It took Pres. Trump three days before he lowered the flag.”
“And Pres. Trump, who was commander-in-chief at the time, did not attend and pay respects to the officer who lay in state in the very building he died defending.” pic.twitter.com/WRYUE8pngH
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 11, 2021
“President Trump not only failed to show remorse or take accountability, he made clear he is just beginning. For days, he did not address the nation after this attack. We needed our commander-in-chief to lead, to unite a grieving country, to comfort us. But what did President Trump do?,” Lieu said. “Nothing, silence.”
Lieu says that enhanced protection around the Capitol is necessary because Trump has not admitted that he lost the election. Lieu argued that his lack of remorse is important as Trump will ‘undoubtedly’ cause future harm.
“He does not say the one sentence that would stop future political violence, ‘the election was not stolen.’ He still hasn’t said that sentence” Lieu said. “That is why National Guard troops in full body armor still patrol outside.”
Feb 11, 1:22 pm
Raskin: ‘If we don’t draw the line here, what’s next?’
Lead House impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin suggested the senators do what Thomas Paine told us to do, “use our common sense.”
“Trump knew exactly what he was doing in inciting the Jan. 6 mob. Exactly. He had just seen how easily his words and actions inspired violence in Michigan. He sent a clear message to his supporters. He encouraged planning and conspiracy to take over capitol buildings and threaten public officials who refuse to bow down to his political will,” Raskin said. “Is there any chance Donald Trump was surprised by the result of his own incitement? Let’s do what Thomas Paine told us to do, use our common sense. The sense we have in common — as citizens. If we don’t draw the line here, what’s next? What makes you think the nightmare with Donald Trump and lawmaking and violent mob is over?”
House impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin: “If we don’t draw the line here, what’s next? What makes you think the nightmare with Donald Trump and his…violent mobs is over?”https://t.co/7IQmTdmVgt #impeachmenttrial pic.twitter.com/AkX1IY74Yu
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 11, 2021
“January 6th was not some unexpected, radical break from his normal law-abiding and peaceful disposition. This was his state of mind. This was his essential M.O.,” he said.
Feb 11, 1:06 pm
Raskin said siege of Michigan capitol was a ‘dress rehearsal’ for Jan. 6
Lead House manager Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., cited the plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as an earlier example of inciting his base.
Raskin asserted that the protest at the Michigan state capitol was a “dress rehearsal” for the Jan 6 riot.
“The siege of the Michigan State House was effectively a state-level dress rehearsal for the siege of the U.S. Capitol that Trump incited on January 6th,” Raskin said. “It was a preview of the coming insurrection.”
Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif. began speaking after Raskin about Trump’s lack of remorse.
Feb 11, 12:57 pm
DeGette cites analysis that found ‘civil war’ mentions quadrupled on Parler
House impeachment manager Rep. Diana DeGette cited an analysis that found mentions of “civil war” quadrupled on Parler in the hour after Donald Trump said “show strength.”
House impeachment manager Rep. Diana DeGette cites an analysis that found mentions of ‘civil war’ “quadrupled on Parler in the hour after Donald Trump said ‘show strength.'” https://t.co/7IQmTdmVgt #impeachmenttrial pic.twitter.com/tNASAp6Ohy
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 11, 2021
“We also have another perspective from this moment: online extremist chatter. At the same time as the people in the crowd shouted, ‘Take the Capitol building,’ as President Trump said, ‘show strength,’ a person posted to Parler saying, ‘time to fight, civil war is upon us,'” Degette said. “Another user said, ‘we’re going to have the civil war. Get ready.'” An analysis found members of civil war crime quadrupled on Parler in the hour after Donald Trump said, ‘show strength.’ When insurrectionists got to the Capitol, they continued those rally cries.”
Feb 11, 12:48 pm
Rioter left threatening note for Pence: ‘Justice is coming’
House impeachment manager Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., also disclosed that one notable protester, Jacob Anthony Angeli Chansley, who stormed the Capitol while donning face paint, no shirt and a furry hat with horns, left a threatening note to Vice President Mike Pence.
“Chansley left a threatening note for Vice President Pence right there on the Senate dais. It read, quote, ‘it’s only a matter of time. Justice is coming,'” DeGette said.
Managers on Wednesday used never-before-seen Capitol security footage to show Pence and his family fleeing the Senate chamber at 2:26 p.m. on Jan. 6. Trump, meanwhile at the White House, posted an attack on Pence to Twitter just two minutes earlier at 2:24 p.m.
They also presented video of Chansley telling a reporter it was time to go home from the Capitol only once Trump put out a pre-recorded video asking them to — over three-and-a-half hours after the attack began.
“Have you noticed throughout this presentation the uncanny similarity over and over and over again of what all these people are saying?” DeGette asked the chamber. “They said what Donald Trump said, and that echoed each other. ‘Stand back and standby.’ ‘Stop the steal.’ ‘Fight like hell.’ ‘Trump sent us.’ ‘We are listening to Trump.'”
House impeachment manager Rep. Diana DeGette: “All of these people who have been arrested and charged, they’re being held accountable for their actions. Their leader, the man who incited them, must be held accountable as well.” https://t.co/BY7pGN4vv8 pic.twitter.com/WijFv4P6eB
— ABC News (@ABC) February 11, 2021
Feb 11, 12:46 pm
Raskin says Jan. 6 riots were ‘culmination’ of Trump’s incitement of violence
Lead House manager, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said that the violent riot on Jan. 6 was a “culmination” of incitement to violence from Trump. He played a series of video clips from over several years, which Raskin said showed Trump urging violence.
Rep. Jamie Raskin: “January 6 was culmination of the president’s actions…The insurrection was the most violent and dangerous episode so far in Donald Trump’s continuing pattern and practice of inciting violence. But I emphasize—so far.” https://t.co/7IQmTdmVgt #impeachmenttrial pic.twitter.com/uZ76mUh4CL
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 11, 2021
“This pro-Trump insurrection did not spring into life out of thin air. We saw how Trump spent months cultivating America’s most dangerous extremist groups,” Raskin said. “We saw how he riled them up with corrosive lies and violent rhetoric, so much so that they were ready and eager for their most dangerous mission, invalidating the will of the people to keep Donald Trump in office.”
Raskin cited the increase in hate groups and heightened threat from domestic terror, saying that Trump incited the anger of these groups for “his own political gain.” The House managers also played footage from the Charlottesville, Virginia, “Unite the Right” rally which led to the death of one woman.
“These tactics were road tested. January 6th 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 — but I emphasize ‘so far.'”
Feb 11, 12:30 pm
DeGette argues rioters believed they were ‘invited by the president’
House impeachment manager Rep. Diana DeGette continued to lay out the case against Trump on Thursday and argued how the insurrectionists themselves believed that they were following the president’s marching orders.
“They truly believed that the whole intrusion was at the president’s orders — and we know that because they said so,” DeGette said. “Many of them actually posed for pictures, bragging about it on social media, and they tagged Mr. Trump in tweets. Folks, this was not a hidden crime. The president told them to be there, and so they actually believed they would face no punishment.”
“Their own statements before, during and after the attack make clear, the attack was done for Donald Trump, at his instructions and to fulfill his wishes,” House impeachment manager Rep. Diana DeGette says about Capitol rioters. https://t.co/BY7pGN4vv8 pic.twitter.com/zOfmN4tNEJ
— ABC News (@ABC) February 11, 2021
Her main message is that rioters were there, solely, “because the president told them to be.”
“The crowd at Donald Trump’s speech echoed and chanted his words, and when people in the crowd followed his direction and marched to the Capitol, they chanted the same words as they breached this building,” she said. “More and more insurrectionists are admitting that they came at Trump’s direction.”
DeGette went on to show news reports and video clips of rioters during and following the Jan. 6 attack saying they believed they were acting lawfully and as Trump had requested.
She said rioters would not have been in Washington had they not been invited by the president to falsely “stop the steal” — and they would not have stormed the Capitol if Trump didn’t embolden them to do so.
House impeachment manager Rep. Diana DeGette shows picture of rioters in the Capitol confronted by SWAT team.
“Looking at these people makes you wonder: who sent them here?…Donald Trump had sent them there.” https://t.co/R1qgpe4xET pic.twitter.com/zfP8DUn3to
— ABC News (@ABC) February 11, 2021
Feb 11, 12:24 pm
‘Because President Trump said to’: Over a dozen Capitol rioters say they were following Trump’s guidance
Senate Democrats are focused on trying to tie a direct line between Trump’s rhetoric and the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters.
An ABC News investigation into the nearly 200 accused rioters facing federal charges for their alleged involvement at the Capitol — based on court filings, military records, interviews, and available news reports– found that at least 15 individuals who stormed the building have since said that they acted based on Trump’s encouragement, including some of those accused of the most violent and serious crimes.
Trump’s lawyers have defended his comments at the Jan. 6 rally as ones that “fall squarely within the protections of the First Amendment.”
“Mr. Trump, having been elected nationally, was elected to be the voice for his national constituency,” his lawyers last week.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin, Alexander Mallin and Alex Hosenball
Feb 11, 12:15 pm
Plaskett stands out in historic role in Senate trial
Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett’s life journey has taken her from the housing projects in Brooklyn, New York, to a historic role as House impeachment manager in the second Senate trial against Trump.
A delegate from the U.S. Virgin Islands, Plaskett is one of nine Democrats tasked with prosecuting the House’s impeachment case against Trump.
On Wednesday, Plaskett presented new evidence in the impeachment trial — showing previously unreleased videos of the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, contending Trump “fanned the flame of violence, and it worked.”
She is also a former law student of lead impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., who was a constitutional law professor at American University. As he introduced her Wednesday afternoon as the first delegate to participate in a Senate trial, Raskin reflected that introducing Plaskett during the Senate trial is “a moment of special pride for me.”
“I hope I’m not violating any records or laws saying she was an A student then and an A+ student now,” Raskin quipped.
JUST IN: House impeachment managers show previously-unseen security footage of Capitol breach.
“The second man through the window is wearing full tactical body armor…Others are carrying riot shields. Among this group are members of the Proud Boys.” https://t.co/OKAzzhvIne pic.twitter.com/4WJr4XI6Tt
— ABC News (@ABC) February 10, 2021
Plaskett, who grew up in Brooklyn and a housing community on Saint Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, also said Wednesday she was a congressional staffer during the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Now a mother of five, Plaskett sheltered in her office during the siege on the Capitol.
-ABC News’ John Parkinson
Feb 11, 12:04 pm
Senate reconvenes for Trump’s second trial
The Senate has reconvened for Trump’s second impeachment trial and will continue to hear arguments from House impeachment managers on Thursday.
Senate Chaplain Barry Black first led the chamber in a prayer. Presiding officer Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., then led the group through the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by the traditional “Hear ye! Hear ye! Hear ye!” proclamation from the sergeant-at-arms.
“Give our Senate jurors discernment that will rescue our nation from ruin.”
Senate Chaplain Barry Black leads a prayer at the start the third day of the Trump #impeachmenttrial: https://t.co/32yttmAJ8G pic.twitter.com/TRZS3EWGZB
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 11, 2021
After brief remarks from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House managers will continue and conclude their presentation in support of the singular article of impeachment for “incitement of insurrection,” receiving up to 16 hours over two days.
Managers on Wednesday argued that Trump spent months priming supporters to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6, in a last-ditch effort to overturn the election results after failed attempts to compel local, state and federal law enforcement and election officials to do so.
They also used never-before-seen Capitol security footage of senators, House members and former Vice President Mike Pence fleeing the chambers during the riot to transport lawmakers back to that moment when many of them were fearing for their lives.
Trump’s team will then present their defense of the former president. They are also expected to receive up to 16 hours over two days.
-ABC News’ Trish Turner
Feb 11, 11:46 am
House managers to wrap opening arguments
Trump’s second impeachment trial — the first for a former president — resumes Thursday at noon with a second and final day of opening arguments from House impeachment managers who are making their case that Trump incited an insurrection.
House impeachment managers will provide “additional evidence” of Trump’s role in the Capitol riot and his “lack of remorse” on the Senate floor Thursday, aides to the managers’ team said on an earlier background call.
“We definitely have the goods and we’ll be bringing them home today,” one aide told reporters.
Managers on Wednesday argued that Trump spent months priming supporters to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6, in a last-ditch effort to overturn the election results after failed attempts to compel local, state and federal law enforcement and election officials to do so.
They also used never-before-seen Capitol security footage of senators, House members and former Vice President Mike Pence fleeing the chambers during the riot to transport lawmakers back to that moment when many of them were fearing for their lives.
After the first day’s arguments on Tuesday, in an unexpected move, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., joined Democrats and five other Republicans in voting that the trial is constitutional, changing his vote from an earlier motion on the issue, citing the Democrats’ “compelling argument.”
Democrats would need at least 17 Republicans to side with them in order to convict and potentially bar Trump from running for federal office again, but the majority of Republicans have already signaled they will not vote to convict.
Feb 11, 10:04 am
House managers to provide “additional evidence” of Trump’s role, his “lack of remorse”: Senior aides
Day Three of Trump’s second impeachment trial is scheduled to convene at noon on Thursday for the end of the House managers’ opening arguments.
House managers have used about five hours and 35 minutes of their time; their aides have told ABC News that they don’t intend to use all of their 16 hours of time allotted.
According to senior aides to the House impeachment managers, on the Senate floor Thursday, the managers are expected to provide “additional evidence” of Trump’s role in the riot and his “lack of remorse.”
“The president knew his vice president was in danger and did nothing,” they said.
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