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Representative Eric Swalwell, who will help prosecute former President Trump for “incitement to insurgency,” said House impeachment officials were ready to call witnesses at the upcoming Senate trial.
“If the Senate allows witnesses, we’ll be ready with witnesses,” Swalwell, D-Calif., Told MSNBC Saturday morning.
MSNBC host Tiffany Cross told Swalwell she would like to see Trump’s inner circle called to testify ahead of the Senate trial about their speeches at the “Stop the Steal” rally on January 6 which precipitated riot on Capitol Hill, including Trump’s eldest son Don Jr. and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani.
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Swalwell did not say whether Trump’s confidants would be called, but suggested that the witness list could have far-reaching significance, as so many were affected when a pro-Trump mob stormed Capitol, killing five people, including Capitol policeman Brian Sicknick.
Charging Official Eric Swalwell, D-Calif. Representative walks Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday, January 13, 2021 (AP Photo / Susan Walsh)
“It wasn’t just the people who knew what the president knew,” Swalwell said. “The Americans saw the police who were beaten, spat and trampled – 50 of them were injured and almost 20 were hospitalized, one of them was killed. The cafeteria workers who ran for their lives too. There are many witnesses to this crime. “
Swalwell said this trial would be different from impeaching Trump a year ago for seeking foreign intervention from Ukraine in the 2020 presidential election. That’s because senators aren’t just jurors. , but also witnesses to the insurgency who “fled for their lives,” he said.
The witnesses were not authorized by the Senate then controlled by the GOP during the previous impeachment trial.
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House impeachment officials will present the riot as a premeditated attack orchestrated by Trump, Swalwell said.
“It was not a passionate crime of passion. It did not happen spontaneously with words that simply escaped Donald Trump during this rally. For months he had been propagating this big lie to radicalize these terrorists [and] to call … Calvary in Washington, and he called it ‘stop the flight,’ “Swalwell said.
“And if you are not an elected official, the only way to stop the theft is to take a physical act. He told them, don’t show weakness, you will lose your country if you don’t fight,” Swalwell continued.
“And then, above all, for two hours, they attacked the Capitol and the president said nothing.
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The impeachment process will officially pass from the House to the Senate on Monday evening. Swalwell is one of nine indictments, led by Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland. They are joined by Representatives Diana DeGette from Colorado, David Cicilline from Rhode Island, Joaquin Castro from Texas, Ted Lieu from California, Stacey Plaskett from the Virgin Islands, Madeleine Dean from Pennsylvania and Joe Neguse from Colorado.
The trial is expected to start in earnest on February 9 so Trump has time to prepare his legal defense. Trump was impeached in the House for “inciting insurgency” a week after rioters broke into Capitol Hill in an attempt to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Biden as president.
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Republicans are divided over whether Trump bears responsibility for the insurgency. In order to condemn the former president, 17 GOP senators are expected to join all Senate Democrats in a majority vote.
With Trump’s term in office, the biggest penalty he faces is being banned from running again.
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