Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial resumed Friday at noontime with his defense team presenting its case. The trial may end -- probably without the two-thirds vote needed for a conviction in the evenly divided Senate -- as soon as Saturday.
The nine House impeachment managers presenting the charge against the former president argue that he betrayed his oath of office by inciting his followers to storm the Capitol. Trump’s lawyers counter that he didn’t encourage violence and simply exercised his First Amendment rights.
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Trump Lawyer Calls Democrats’ Claims Misleading (12:40 p.m.)
Trump attorney David Schoen echoed House impeachment managers calling on senators -- the jurors -- to focus on the facts. But Schoen suggested they had jumped to conclusions, pointing out that House Democrats have called for fact-finding commissions to understand what happened on Jan. 6 and what motivated the mob that attacked the Capitol.
“How can these same Democrats have the certainty needed to bring articles of impeachment and blame President Trump?” Schoen asked.
The defense team presented a video of House impeachment managers citing reports about Jan. 6 and Trump’s conduct. Their use of the word “reportedly,” Schoen said, is “a euphemism for ‘I have no evidence’.”
“You get more due process than this when you fight a parking ticket,” Schoen said.
Schoen also accused the House managers of doctoring images of tweets and the video of Trump’s Jan. 6 speech. -- Anna Edgerton
Trump’s Lawyer Shows Video of Democrats (12:16 p.m.)
Trump’s team countered the House managers’ presentation of vivid videos with some of their own.
Scenes showed Democrats objecting to Electoral College votes in 2017, and then-Vice President Joe Biden gaveling down their complaints in a joint session of Congress.
Other images showed Democrats including Biden, Representative Maxine Waters and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer using inflammatory language against a background of dramatic music, juxtaposed with clips of Trump vowing “law and order.”
Trump lawyer Michael van der Veen said Trump’s “fight like hell” vow at the rally before the mob attack on the Capitol was “ordinary political rhetoric that is virtually indistinguishable from the language that has been use by people across the political spectrum for hundreds of years.”
Trump has been clear that the criminals who attacked the Capitol must be prosecuted, and he can’t be blamed for inciting an insurrection that others planned, he said.“You can’t incite what was already going to happen,” van der Veen said.
Rejecting what he called “constitutional cancel culure,” van der Veen also said Trump simply pursued all legal and civic avenues to assure the integrity of the 2020 election that he decried as fraudulent. -- Daniel Flatley and Mark Niquette
Trump’s Lawyer Cites ‘Appalling Abuse’ (12:10 p.m.)
“The article of impeachment now before the Senate is an unjust and blatantly unconstitutional act of political vengeance,” Trump attorney Michael van der Veen said in opening Trump’s case. “This appalling abuse of the constitution only further divides our nation when we should be trying to come together around shared priorities.” -- Mark Niquette
Trump’s Lawyers Open Their Case (12:04 p.m.)
Trump’s legal team, led by attorneys David Schoen and Bruce Castor, began to lay out the defense argument that’s expected to last less than four hours.
The defense’s case will be followed by questions from senators, which could happen later Friday, setting the trial on track to conclude with a final vote as soon as Saturday.
Although even some GOP senators praised the prosecution’s argument, it will be difficult for the impeachment managers to win a conviction: At least 17 Republicans would have to join with all Democrats to find Trump guilty of the House’s charge that he incited the insurrection.
Three Senators Meet with Trump Lawyers (8:30 a.m.)
Republican Senators Mike Lee of Utah, Ted Cruz of Texas and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina met with Trump’s attorneys on Thursday as the former president’s team gears up to make its case against convicting him on an impeachment charge of inciting a deadly riot at the Capitol, Trump adviser Jason Miller told Newsmax on Friday.
“I would say most of the points that the senators were raising, we have in our presentations and we have in our arguments, so that was good reinforcement for us that we’re thinking about this in the same direction,” Miller said.
Miller made it clear they were working with Trump’s lawyers on strategy. As senators, all three men are also jurors in the case and will be voting on the charge.
“These are some smart guys with some very good ideas, and I think President Trump is going to get the absolute best defense today, and it was a real honor to have those senators come in and give us some additional ideas so we’re appreciative for that.”
Miller said he expected the defense presentation to take about four hours and then move into questions and answers and toward a vote Saturday.
“Today is the day of truth. Today is the day that we actually put the Democrats on trial, and you’re going to see a full and complete picture of what really happened,” he said. -- Jennifer Jacobs
Where to Watch:
You can catch the proceedings live on the Bloomberg Terminal or streaming on the web at bloomberg.com. Cable news networks CNN, Fox News and MSNBC are likely to show significant portions of the trial. C-SPAN 2, which covers Senate floor proceedings, will broadcast it on cable and online.
— With assistance by Daniel Flatley, Billy House, Mark Niquette, and Jennifer Jacobs