Lead House impeachment manager Jamie Raskin launched Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial with a gripping video montage of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by a violent mob of Trump supporters who appeared to be acting at the direction of the now-former president.
“You will not be hearing extended lectures for me because our case is based on cold hard facts,” said Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland.
Senators convened for Day One of the trial to debate and vote on an effort to dismiss the case on the grounds that it is unconstitutional because Trump is no longer in office.
Raskin framed the effort as an attempt by Trump’s team “to call the trial over before any evidence is even introduced.”
He added, “Their argument is that if you committed an impeachable offense in your last few weeks in office, you do it with constitutional impunity. You get away with it.”
Raskin described the Trump defense team’s argument as one that provides “a January exception” for presidents that would preclude them from going on trial for actions taken while in office.
“He would have you believe there is absolutely nothing the Senate can do about it,” Raskin said.
Trump left office on Jan. 20. House Democrats and 10 Republicans voted on Jan. 13 to impeach him on an article charging him with inciting an insurrection that provoked the Jan. 6 attack.
The video montage had the footage of the attacks interspersed with Trump’s speeches and tweets that Democrats say clearly implicate the former president in causing the crowd to attack, in which five people died and dozens were injured.
“If that’s not an impeachable offense,” Raskin said, “then there is no such thing.”
