Case Trump incited riots at Capitol

WASHINGTON: Democrats making the case for Donald Trump’s conviction for inciting the deadly attack on the US Capitol on January 6 focused yesterday on the former president’s role in assembling and inflaming the rioters and the damage wrought in the rampage.

As the third day of Trump’s Senate impeachment trial got under way, the House of Representatives members serving as prosecutors provided examples to illustrate how he explicitly summoned his supporters to Washington on that day.

Democratic congresswoman Diana DeGette told the senators — serving as jurors in the trial — that the rioters’ ‘‘own statements before, during and after the attack made clear the attack was done for Donald Trump and to fulfil his wishes’’.

‘‘This was not a hidden crime,’’ DeGette said.

‘‘The president told them to be there, so they actually believed they would face no punishment.’’

She showed video featuring one rioter telling another, as they entered a congressional office, ‘‘he’ll be happy — what do you mean, we’re fighting for Trump’’.

The Democraticled House on January 13 charged the Republican former president with inciting an insurrection by exhorting thousands of supporters to march on the Capitol as Congress gathered to certify Democrat Joe Biden’s election win.

Democrats face a difficult task in securing a conviction and in barring Trump from ever again holding public office, given his continued popularity with many Republican voters. Trump has expressed interest in again running for president in 2024. A twothirds majority would be needed to vote to convict, which means at least 17 Republican senators would have to defy Trump.

While some Republican senators have said the House managers are presenting their arguments well, many hold fast to their position that Trump should not be convicted.

The nine House managers are arguing Trump planted the seeds for the riot by encouraging violence and making false claims that the November 3 election was stolen long before January 6.

‘‘All of these people who’ve been arrested and charged, they’re being held accountable for their actions. Their leader, the man who incited them, must be held accountable as well,’’ DeGette told the senators.

‘‘But . . . you don’t have to take my word for it, that the insurrectionists acted at Donald Trump’s direction. They said so.’’

Five people, including a police officer, died in the violence. Two more police officers involved in the response died by suicide in the days afterwards.

Trump’s lawyers said the video and other evidence presented by Democrats had not made the case for his culpability.

MONDAY

That shot I played this morning on the ninth did not land in the bunker. There is no way that shot landed in the bunker or anywhere near it. I know the course at MaraLago like the back of my head. It’s a very beautiful golf course, I would say the most beautiful in America, in other words the most beautiful in the world and by the way, has anyone seen Melania?

I saw her last month. We were at an airport. I think we had just come from somewhere. It might have been the

White House and I say that because Melania’s luggage consisted of a great many packing cases marked WHITE HOUSE. I know she wanted one or two things from the Oval Office as keepsakes even though I said to her, ‘‘Why don’t you just leave them where they are?

We’ll be back.’’

TUESDAY

The impeachment trial begins tomorrow and of course I will be vindicated, it’s really a giant waste of everyone’s time, but the swamp won’t know what’s hit them when they hear from my lawyers, I have assembled a very, very good team, I met them today and I asked how they were doing, and the defence lead, Bruce Castor, said to me, ‘‘The other day, when I was down here in Washington — I came down earlier in the week to try to figure out how to find my way around. I worked in this building 40 years ago. I got lost then, and I still do.’’

I have every confidence in this man.

WEDNESDAY

Castor told the senate, ‘‘I’ll be quite frank with you, we changed what we were going to do on account that we thought that the House manager’s presentation was well done.’’ Who appointed this idiot?

THURSDAY

I sat down to watch the impeachment trial on TV and called out, ‘‘Who wants to watch this with me?’’

I think I heard footsteps, but they were walking away. Well, that’s not surprising, noone wants to watch the impeachment trials, it’s a very, very ugly spectacle, because the senate has been taken over by people who I would describe as unstable, who have got their way into the senate by illegal means, and they are making hysterical statements and running around saying terrible, terrible things, and noone wants to see that happening in America.

I caught a glimpse of video footage taken of the patriots who entered the Capitol on January 6 to express their disappointment at the stolen election, but it didn’t really hold my attention.

FRIDAY

What the senate doesn’t understand is that any comments I made about the stolen election are protected under the First Amendment.

If they’d done their homework, if they’d shown any respect for the constitution of the United States of America, they would know that the First Amendment states,

‘‘Congress shall make no law prohibiting free exercise or abridging the freedom of speech, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble’’.

Now that pretty much covers off any remarks I may have made as president and it also protects the peaceful assembly at the Capitol on January 6.

The impeachment trial is a waste of time. Everyone knows it. I don’t waste any time worrying about it and by the way, that shot I played this morning on the No 13 did not land in the lake.