House impeachment managers said Wednesday that they would present unseen video footage of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol on the second day of the Senate trial charging former President Donald Trump with inciting an insurrection, two weeks before he departed as commander in chief.
“We’ll be using footage, never seen before, that shows a view of the Capitol that is quite extraordinary, to show the attack, that has never been public before, which you will see for the first time,” said a senior Democratic aide associated with the impeachment team.
The aides said impeachment managers presented “dry constitutional arguments” on Tuesday, the first day of the trial. The trial featured dramatic video footage of the Capitol attack, and for many senators, that served as a far more compelling presentation than the meandering arguments of Trump’s defense lawyer, Bruce Castor.
But Democratic aides said that senators will see even more compelling video Wednesday with footage from Capitol security cameras.
“We have the goods,” one of the Democratic aides said. “We will be presenting the goods. We will be tying the evidence together in a compelling case that will make it clear for everyone, Democrats and Republicans, that Donald Trump committed the most heinous constitutional crime possible.”
The aides would not disclose details about the new footage.
Dozens of videos exist of the violent Jan. 6 attack, taken by protesters, reporters, and others. Senators and House lawmakers were in the building, debating on the certification of Joe Biden’s presidential victory.
Lawmakers were evacuated during the attack, and many were left terrified and fearing for their lives.
The impeachment managers said that they plan to show evidence of “Trump’s planning” ahead of the attack, which left five people dead and dozens injured.
The aides said they do not expect to use the full 16 hours to present their case.
They also said that the presentation would present “a devastating case” against the president, aided by the new footage.
“There is going to be new coverage that no one has seen, and it will provide new insight on both the extreme violence everyone suffered and the risk that it could have led to further violence and death, if not for the bravery of the officers,” one of the aides said. “And shows really the extent of what Donald Trump unleashed on our Capitol. You’ll see all of that in ways that are different than what you’ve seen before.”
