Trump Impeachment Live Updates: Democrats wrap up case for ...

Washington — House Democrats leading the prosecution of former President Donald Trump at his Senate impeachment trial are concluding their arguments for conviction on the third day of proceedings, zeroing in Mr. Trump's words and actions in the run-up to the January 6 attack on the Capitol.The impeachment managers presented video evidence, media reports and court documents to demonstrate how some members of the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol believed they were acting at the direction of the president. The president told them to be there and so they actually believed they would face no punishment."The Democrats relied on a litany of Mr. Trump's comments in interviews and at political rallies over the years to make the case that he deliberately incited his supporters to resort to violence in an attempt to remain in power."These tactics were road-tested," said Representative Jamie Raskin, the lead House impeachment manager. Mr. Trump's legal team will mount his defense on Friday and plans to conclude their arguments the same day, meaning the trial could conclude as early as this weekend.Congressman Ted Lieu, too, sought to head-off arguments from Mr. Trump's legal team that the former president was not afforded due process, as the House swiftly moved to impeach him days after the January 6 assault.Lieu told senators that the House moved quickly to eliminate any doubt Congress would act decisively against a president who "incites violence against us."He also noted that the House attempted to deliver the article of impeachment quickly to the Senate, but the upper chamber was out of session at that time, delaying its transmission.Raskin then returned to stress the issue before senators is not whether Mr. Trump committed a crime  under the federal code, D.C. law or state law."Impeachment does not result in criminal penalties, as we keep emphasizing. "It threatened the very constitutional order that protects free speech, due process, religious free exercise, the right to vote, equal protection and the many other fundamental rights that we all treasure and cherish as citizens of the United States."The First Amendment, he continued, doesn't create a "superpower of immunity" for a president who attacks the Constitution "in word and deed.""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.The Maryland Democrat said the precedent Mr. Trump is asking Congress to create would allow future presidents to mimic his own conduct, which is "self-evidently dangerous."Kathryn Watson, Melissa Quinn and Grace SegersCongressman Joaquin Castro of Texas warned the January 6 assault on the Capitol posed a grave risk to national security, as foreign adversaries would have wanted to take advantage of the chance to gain access to the building and Capitol complex."While we can't be certain if and how many foreign spies infiltrated the crowd or at least coordinated with those that did, we can be sure that any enemy that wanted access to our secrets would have wanted to be part of that mob inside these halls," he said.Castro showed video of Senate offices ransacked by the rioters, who also went through the very desks where members are sitting on the Senate floor."Every foreign adversary considering attacking this building got to watch a dress rehearsal and they saw that this Capitol could be overtaken," he said.Rep. Joaquin Castro: "We have spent trillions of dollars building the strongest military in the world, and billions of dollars on the most sophisticated weaponry on the planet, to prevent the kind of attack that occurred at this Capitol on January 6" https://t.co/YubPpuDO6i pic.twitter.com/055YlMym7RCastro said U.S. adversaries are using the Capitol assault to denigrate America and justify their own anti-democratic behavior, citing remarks from Russian, Chinese and Iranian officials, as well as a January 14 joint threat assessment from the FBI warning that foreign influence actors "have seized the opportunity to amplify narratives in furtherance of their policy interest amid the presidential transition.""They're using President Trump's incitement of an insurrection to declare that democracy is over," he said, adding "the world is watching and wondering whether we are who we say we are."Castro said it's crucial for Congress to stand up for the rule of law."For generations, the United States has been a North Star in the world for freedom, democracy and human rights because America is not only a nation, for many it is also an idea," he said.Castro said the trial is an opportunity to send a message "back to the world.""There is a lot of courage in this room, a lot of courage that has been demonstrated in the lives of the people in this room," he said, referencing lawmakers who fought for civil rights and in the armed forces, serving in Vietnam and Afghanistan."Although most of you have traded in your uniform for public service, your country needs you one more time."Castro said convicting Mr. Trump would show the world that the U.S. stands for the rule of law, regardless of who violates it."Let us show the world that January 6 was not America and let us remind the world that we are truly their North Star," he said.The Senate reconvened just after 2:45 p.m., and Congressman Joaquin Castro of Texas is set to discuss the harm to national security and damage to the international reputation of the U.S.The Senate recessed for a break of 15 minutes shortly after 2 p.m. Senators plan to take short breaks every two to three hours, with a longer 30-minute break for dinner if needed.Congressman David Cicilline of Rhode Island said Mr. Trump's conduct related to the January 6 assault harmed not only Congress, but also the democratic process and the scores of people who work inside the Capitol complex. He began by noting the three people in the presidential line of succession — then-Vice President Mike Pence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and then-Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley — were all at risk, and the rioters made clear their intent to harm Pence and Pelosi."This mob was trying to overthrow our government, and they came perilously close to reaching the first three people in line to the presidency," Cicilline said.Rioters, he continued, were prepared to attack any lawmaker they came across, as demonstrated by comments made by mob members on social media posts and then cited in court filings.Cicilline said Mr. Trump's "true North Star isn't America's well-being, it's not country first like our dear departed colleague John McCain. Many of the people who attempted to carry out those plots were arrested.DeGette also highlighted a video retweeted by Mr. Trump where supporter Couy Griffin said that "the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat." Griffin was present on January 6, and arrested by the FBI ahead of the inauguration for allegedly planning to attack the Capitol.Congressman Ted Lieu of California focused on what the managers argue was Mr. Trump's lack of remorse for his role in emboldening supporters who attacked the Capitol."This was a president who showed no remorse and took no accountability. In fact, quite the opposite," Lieu said.The California Democrat said Mr. Trump's refusal to take responsibility for the attack January 6 indicates he intended the events to happen, and when it did, "he delighted in it."Lieu began with January 6, as Mr. Trump declined to condemn the violence perpetrated by the mob of his supporters, but did tell them in a video "we love you" and, in a subsequent tweet that evening, "Remember this day forever!"Following the tweet, Lieu notes it took Mr. Trump another day to denounce the assault, ultimately doing so in a prerecorded video released January 7, 30 hours after the attack began."President Trump not only failed to show remorse or take accountability, he made clear he is just beginning," Lieu said of the president's comments in his January 7 video. Senators will then proceed to vote on conviction.Lead impeachment manager Jamie Raskin said Mr. Trump "inciting violence" on January 6 was in line with Mr. Trump's "continuing pattern and practice of inciting violence." "This pro-Trump insurrection did not spring into life out of thin air," Raskin said."These tactics were road tested," he continued. In another video, which showed rioters clashing with law enforcement outside the Capitol, the mob chanted "Stop the steal," while audio clips revealed others declaring the rioters were in the Capitol on the former president's orders.A clip taken from the West Front of the Capitol from later January 6 features a member of the mob citing Mr. Trump's video posted to Twitter, in which he encouraged the crowd to go home, while legal filings cited by DeGette indicate the rioters were at the Capitol because Mr. Trump told them to be.DeGette played video interviews from Jenna Ryan, a real estate agent from Texas who was charged in the attack, telling media outlets that "President Trump requested that we be in D.C. on the 6th.""On January 6, we know who lit the fuse," DeGette said. "Their leader, the man who incited them, must be held accountable as well," she said.DeGette closed with a video showing rioters outside the Capitol, with one man shouting "We were invited by the president of the United States."Several Republican senators told reporters before the Senate reconvened on Thursday that they believed the trial would wrap up over the weekend."We're hoping the thing concludes by Saturday, but it sounds like we may not go late tonight," Senator John Cornyn said.Senator Roy Blunt also said he believed the House impeachment managers would not go late today, and that the trial should be concluded by the weekend."Saturday's looking better all the time," Blunt told reporters.Senator Shelley Moore Capito said she had heard the end of the trial may be Saturday, but "I'm not sure that's going to be possible.""I think it may be more like Sunday," Capito said.The Senate has convened as a court of impeachment, kicking off the second day of the presentation from House impeachment managers.The acting Senate Sergeant at Arms Jennifer Hemingway read the proclamation, declaring senators "keep silence on pain of imprisonment while the Senate of the United States is sitting for the trial."Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the Senate is expected to follow a schedule similar to Wednesday, taking short breaks every two to three hours, as well as a 30-minute dinner break if needed.Congresswoman Diana DeGette of Colorado is beginning the second day of the managers' presentation, laying out how the insurrectionists believed they were following orders from Mr. Trump.Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced at her weekly press conference that she will introduce legislation to pay tribute to the U.S. Capitol Police and other law enforcement personnel who helped keep lawmakers safe during the attack on the Capitol on January 6. "But I don't know."The president said the Senate, an institution where he served 36 years, "has a very important job to complete."Asked whether he believes Mr. Trump could be convicted, the president did not respond.While the Senate conducts its trial examining whether the former president incited an insurrection with his conduct surrounding the January 6 assault, Mr. Biden has maintained a busy schedule.