Impeachment prosecutors plan to prove that Trump incited Capitol riots with 'blockbuster' video juxtaposing the former president's remarks with chaotic scenes at the insurrection
Impeachment prosecutors are planning to prove that Donald Trump incited the January 6 Capitol riots with a dramatic video juxtaposing chaotic scenes at the insurrection with the former president's remarks.
One year after his first impeachment, Trump finds himself the target of an unprecedented second trial beginning Tuesday in the Senate.
The lead prosecutor, Democratic Rep Jamie Raskin of Maryland, offered a preview of the trial in an interview with the New York Times published Sunday.
'The story of the president's actions is both riveting and horrifying,' Raskin said. 'We think that every American should be aware of what happened - that the reason he was impeached by the House and the reason he should be convicted and disqualified from holding future federal office is to make sure that such an attack on our democracy and Constitution never happens again.'
Rather than relying on witness testimony to make their case, as has been the norm in previous impeachment trials, Raskin and his eight colleagues who make up the prosecution are taking a creative approach, six sources familiar with the plans told the Times.
The prosecutors are expected to focus on a video the newspaper likened to a 'blockbuster action film' - splicing together clips from the insurrection with the comments Trump made as the violence unfolded.
The goal of the video is to remind lawmakers of the fear they felt when they were whisked to safety as hundreds of Trump supporters breached the Capitol, the sources said.
Impeachment prosecutors are planning to prove that Donald Trump incited the January 6 Capitol riots with a dramatic video juxtaposing chaotic scenes at the insurrection with the former president's remarks. Pictured: Trump speaks at a rally moments before his supporters marched on the Capitol
The prosecutors are expected to focus their case on a 'blockbuster action film', splicing together clips from the insurrection with the comments Trump made as the violence unfolded
The goal of the video is to remind lawmakers of the fear they felt when they were whisked to safety as hundreds of Trump supporters breached the Capitol, the sources said. Pictured: Members of Congress rush to evacuate the House Chamber on January 6
Prosecutors set the tone for their arguments in a pre-trial brief, accusing Trump of 'creating a powder keg, striking a match, and then seeking personal advantage from the ensuing havoc'.
Meanwhile defense lawyers focused on two points: that the trial is 'moot' because Trump cannot be removed from an office he no longer holds, and that his rhetoric casting doubt on the election results and his combustible January 6 remarks amounted to constitutionally protected speech.
The likelihood of conviction is low, because it would require 17 Republicans breaking ranks to join all 48 Democrats and two Independents in finding Trump guilty.
But the prosecutors are armed with the unique benefit of lessons learned during Trump's last Senate impeachment trial.
That trial, in which Trump was acquitted on charges that he abused power by pressuring Ukraine to investigate now-President Joe Biden, was led by Rep Adam Schiff (D - California), who has been quietly advising prosecutors in the new trial.
Schiff's prosecution team had also worked on a video as a central component of their case, compiling clips of witness testimony illustrating Trump's pressure campaign.
Raskin reportedly went to the same production firm for help creating his team's video after spending dozens of hours gathering footage to use.
At the heart of the video will be clips of Trump speaking to supporters at a rally outside the White House on the morning of January 6, where he encouraged supporters to march on the Capitol and make their voices heard as Congress met to certify Biden's victory.
'You'll never take back our country with weakness,' Trump said, urging supporters to 'fight like hell'.
The video will also feature clips of Trump's supporters describing how they were energized by his comments and went to the Capitol at his command.
But not all of the clips will be from January 6. Raskin's team also pulled clips from the months leading up to the insurrection, in which Trump sought to undermine the validity of the election by claiming it was 'rigged' and 'stolen'.
Trump supporters invaded the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 and broke into the Senate, the very chamber that is to host the trial of the former president
Speaking to the Times, Schiff highlighted the importance of the older footage in demonstrating that the riots were borne out of a broader campaign by Trump to upend the election process.
'The more you document all the tragic events leading up to that day and the president's misconduct on that day and the president's reaction while people were being attacked that day, the more and more difficult you make it for any senator to hide behind those false constitutional fig leaves,' Schiff said.
'Even with this trial, where senators themselves were witnesses, it's very important to tell the whole story.
'This is not about a single day; it is about a course of conduct by a president to use his office to interfere with the peaceful transfer of power.'
As Raskin and his colleagues make their final preparations with the prosecution, senators are gearing up to step into uncharted territory when they sit in judgment of a president who is no longer in office, a deeply damaged political figure who remains a potent force in his party even without the power of the White House. Pictured: The Senate is sworn in on January 26
A new Ipsos/ABC News poll found that 56 percent of Americans believe Trump should be convicted by the Senate
As Raskin and his colleagues make their final preparations with the prosecution, senators are gearing up to step into uncharted territory when they sit in judgment of a president who is no longer in office, a deeply damaged political figure who remains a potent force in his party even without the power of the White House.
The House of Representatives indicted Trump for 'incitement of insurrection' on January 13, forever branding him a twice-impeached president. No other commander-in-chief has been so disgraced.
Yet no US president has ever been convicted in a court of impeachment - and the odds are that such a record will stand.
A principal goal of Democrats driving the trial would be to ban Trump from holding federal office in the future, should they win an unlikely conviction.
The mob riot itself is beyond dispute. US networks covered the mayhem live, and thousands of self-incriminating photographs and video clips - including of some rioters insisting Trump 'wants us here' storming the Capitol - made their way into the world's news media.
Critics aver that Trump's role was such that he violated his oath of office by inciting his supporters to launch the attack.
The Republican billionaire and his allies, however, argue that the trial itself is unconstitutional, saying the Senate can convict and remove from office a current president but not a private citizen.
'If it happened in the Soviet Union, you would have called it a show trial,' Republican Senator Bill Cassidy said on NBC's Meet the Press.
The claim of unconstitutionality could allow the defense team and Republican senators to avoid having to defend the fiery tweets and diatribes by Trump in the run-up to the violence.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi insisted the trial should go on, and that failing to convict him would damage American democracy.
'We'll see if it's going to be a Senate of courage or cowardice,' Pelosi told reporters on Thursday.
Even though Trump retains a strong base of support, the riot has eroded his popularity - not good for a 74-year-old who may eye a fresh presidential run in 2024.
Public support for a Trump conviction is stronger now than during his first impeachment trial, according to a new Ipsos/ABC News poll.
It found 56 percent of Americans favoring conviction to 43 percent who disagreed.
