Raskin on Impeachment: Trump’s Actions ‘Much Worse’ Than Yelling Fire in Crowded Theater
House impeachment managers on Wednesday are presenting evidence on the second day of former President Trump's impeachment trial to back up their argument that Trump incited the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, the lead impeachment manager, was the first to speak on the floor. Raskin called Jan. 6 a day that "will live in disgrace in history" unless you ask Trump. Raskin cited Trump's tweet from late in the afternoon of Jan. 6 to support his argument.
Raskin said Trump's actions leading up to the violent protest on Jan. 6 were "much worse" than shouting "fire" in a crowded theater.
"It's more like a case where the town fire chief who is paid to put our fires sends a mob not to yell fire in a crowded theater, but to actually set the theater on fire," he said.
“These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long,” Trump tweeted.
Democratic Colorado Rep. Joe Neguse presented after Raskin. Neguse said played a clip of protestors saying, "fight for Trump." Neguse said it was Trump's role to stop the violence that was happening at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
"He alone, our commander in chief, had the power to stop it and he didn't," he said, adding that Democrats will present evidence to support their argument. "You will see that even when he did, 3 and a half hours into the attack, tell these people to go home in peace, he added, as lead manager Raskin said, I'll quote, you're very special. We love you."
Texas Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro played a video of Trump saying on Nov. 4 that he won the presidential election while votes were still being counted. Castro said Trump "never" recanted his statement since that time.
"This is the commander in chief telling his supporters your election is being stolen and you must stop the counting of American votes and it worked. His words became their actions," he said, referring to the riot on Jan. 6.
California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell said Trump "wanted to make his base angrier and angrier" ahead of the Jan. 6 "Save America" rally.
"To make them angry he was willing to say anything," he said, referring to a Nov. 15 tweet from Trump where the former president said he concedes nothing and "we have a long way to go."
Swalwell showed a tweet from pro-Trump activist Jennifer Lynn Lawrence which was re-tweeted by Trump ahead of the Jan. 6 rally. Lawrence said in the tweet that "we are bringing the Calvary Mr. President."
"This was not just any old protest. President Trump was inciting something historic. The Calvary was coming," Swalwell said. "And he was organized."
The House impeachment managers and Trump's defense presented on Tuesday, which was on the first day of the trial.
Following their presentations, senators voted 56-44 to allow the trial proceed as constitutional. Republican Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy was one of the six GOP senators to side with Democrats in voting to proceed with the trial.
"This is a constitutional question and clearly it had been established that it is constitutional and the constitution obviously becomes, it is constitution and country over party. For some, they get it, and for others they are not quite so sure but that's to be expected," Cassidy told reporters on Wednesday. "This does not predict my vote on anything else. It does predict that I will listen to these arguments as I did to the arguments yesterday with an open mind."
(h/t Just the News)
