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- Aides prevented President Trump from appearing in person to defend himself in Wednesday’s impeachment vote in the House of Representatives, The New York Times reported.
- Trump has been isolated since last week’s riot on Capitol Hill, abandoned by his allies, cut off from business and deprived of his Twitter account.
- Lawmakers on Wednesday voted 232-197 to impeach Trump, with 10 Republicans backing the move.
- Instead, Trump released a post-impeachment video condemning the violence on stronger terms than before.
- Visit the Business Insider homepage for more stories.
President Donald Trump was barred from appearing in person in the House of Representatives to defend himself ahead of his second impeachment, The New York Times reported.
The Aides would have convinced the president that it would be a bad idea to offer a defense in Wednesday’s vote.
In December 2019, when he was first removed from office, reports suggested that he also wanted to give a defense in person, but was dismissed.
In Wednesday’s vote, Trump was impeached by 232-197 on a single charge of “incitement to insurgency” during last Wednesday’s riot on the U.S. Capitol. Ten Republicans sided with the Democrats in the vote.
Having been kicked off Twitter after the attack on Capitol Hill, Trump does not have his preferred platform to step in and attempt to shape events.
The president in his last term in office is an isolated figure, abandoned by his allies in politics and business, and turning on his close aide Rudy Giuliani, his personal lawyer, in a dispute over bills.
Read more: ‘It was degrading’: Black Capitol detention staff talk about what it was like to clean up mess left by violent pro-Trump white supremacists
After the vote, Trump released a video in which he expressed no personal regret for the violence that left five people dead. However, he condemned it more firmly than before.
“Violence and vandalism have no place in our country … None of my true supporters would ever approve of political violence,” Trump said.
According to reports, Trump has been warned by White House attorney Pat Cipollone that he faces legal consequences, legal consequences for the riot, where supporters ransacked Capitol Hill after being invited by Trump during from a rally to “fight like hell” in their attempt to overturn the election results.
Trump’s impeachment will now be sent back to the Senate, where a trial will take place after he returns from recess on Jan. 19, and is expected to extend until the start of President-elect Joe Biden’s term.
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