Those who stormed the Capitol believed they were following “the order …

The Democratic “prosecutors” in charge of the indictment of Donald Trump tried to show Thursday that the demonstrators who stormed Congress on January 6 believed they were following “direct orders” from the former president. “They really believed any intrusion was on Trump’s orders, and we know that because they said it,” said Colorado Rep. Diana DeGette. In closing their presentation, the Democrats assured that if Trump were acquitted, he could generate violence or serve as an inspiration to other officials or leaders in the future.

Prosecutors who promoted the impeachment trial unfolding in the Senate once again resorted to shocking and never-before-seen footage of what happened in the attack on Capitol Hill. With this material, they seek to convince some of the 44 senators who voted Monday in favor of declaring unconstitutional this second indictment that Trump faces in less than a year. For its part, United States President Joe Biden has argued that the new images shown in the Senate “may change their minds” for some of those Republicans.

Senator Diana DeGette opened the third day of impeachment against Trump by citing some of the proclamations with which the angry mob entered Capitol Hill on January 6. “Our president wants us here”, “We wait and receive our president’s orders”, or “We fight for Trump” were some of the phrases quoted by DeGette., before also remembering how some lawyers for the more than 200 detainees for these acts argued that their clients believed the former president “told them to do it.”

DeGette focused on a statement by Trump on Jan. 7, when a day after the violence, the president appeared not to recognize the gravity of the situation, telling his supporters that “our incredible journey has only just begun.” “And he was right. Unless we take action, the violence is just beginning, ”added DeGette.

For his part, the Congressman Jamie raskin presented evidence that Trump promoted violence, using videos in the former president’s own words. “This insurgency did not come out of nowhere,” Raskin said. “This was not the first time Trump had ignited and incited a crowd,” he said.

Raskin said it was imperative that the Senate condemn Trump and ban him from running for the White House again in 2024. “Is there a political leader in this room who thinks that if the Senate ever lets him return to the Oval Office, Donald Trump will stop inciting violence and succeed in his path?” “Trump has declared his conduct ‘very appropriate’,” Raskin said. “So if he comes back to power and it happens again, we won’t have anyone to blame except ourselves.”

The former president “spread lies to incite a violent attack on the Capitol, our security forces and all of us, then he lied to his base to tell them that everything was fine, that everything was acceptable.”said another prosecutor, Ted Location, during his speech in the Senate. “And that is why President Trump is so dangerous, because he would make all of us, all Americans, believe any president can come after him and do the exact same thing,” he added.

It is expected that from this Friday, it will be the defense of Trump that presents its arguments before giving way to questions from senators from parties to both parties. Lawyers for the Republican mogul will argue later this week that his comments were protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution. In addition Trump’s lawyers are likely to blame the protesters themselves for the violence.

The former president’s defense also believes he cannot be sentenced as he has already retired from the White House. Even though the Senate rejected this argument in Tuesday’s vote to proceed to trial, this argument could resonate with Senate Republicans keen to acquit Trump without exception.

“It will be as short as possible,” said one of the former president’s lawyers, David Schoen., in an interview with Fox News. Schoen complained of “the complete lack of due process and investigation in this case, and that there is no possibility to test the evidence.”

same United States President Joe Biden, entered the discussion for the impeachment. He said the shocking evidence from the attack on Capitol Hill presented in Trump’s impeachment trial could weigh on the opinion of some Republicans loyal to the former president. “I think some may have changed their minds,” he said from the Oval Office.

The Democratic president admitted that he is not very focused on what is happening on Capitol Hill, because he has “a lot of work to do”. “I haven’t seen anything live. I am focusing on my job to keep the promises I made. And we all know we have to keep moving forward.”, he stressed.

So far, a large majority of Republicans back Trump, who is accused of “inciting insurgency” for his role in the historic Jan.6., when a mob of his supporters invaded the seat of Congress to prevent certification of Biden’s electoral victory. For that, a conviction of Trump, requiring a two-thirds majority in the Senate, seems highly unlikely.