Democrats build impeachment case alleging ‘dangerous crime'
The lead prosecutor for US President Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment began building his case for conviction at trial, asserting yesterday that Trump’s incitement of the mob that stormed the US Capitol was “the most dangerous crime” ever committed by a president against the United States. A Senate trial could begin as soon as this week, just as Democrat Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president.
Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin did not say when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will send the single article of impeachment against Trump – for “incitement of insurrection” – to the Senate, which will trigger the beginning of the trial.
The House voted to impeach Trump last Thursday, one week after the violent insurrection that interrupted the official count of electoral votes, ransacked the Capitol and left Congress shaken.
“We’re going to be able to tell the story of this attack on America and all of the events that led up to it,” Raskin said. “This president set out to dismantle and overturn the election results from the 2020 presidential election. He was perfectly clear about that.”
Democrats and the incoming administration are facing the challenge of reckoning with the Capitol attack at the same time Biden takes office and tries to move the country forward. They say the Congress can do both, balancing a trial with confirmations of the new president’s Cabinet and consideration of his legislative priorities.
Raskin said Congress cannot establish a precedent where “we just want to let bygones be bygones” just because Trump has left office.
Yet it’s clear that Democrats do not want the Senate trial to dominate Biden’s opening days. Pelosi said Democrats intend to move quickly on Biden’s US$1.9 trillion ($2.66T) Covid19 aid and economic recovery package to speed up vaccinations and send Americans relief, calling it “matter of complete urgency.”
It is unclear how many Senate Republicans – if any – would vote d to convict Trump. Republican leader Mitch Mcconnell of Kentucky is telling his caucus their decision on whether to convict the outgoing president will be a “vote of conscience”. —AP