Trump impeachment trial opens with chilling video
Armuchee Middle School claims it second straight FCAA region championship.
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment trial opened on Tuesday with a video showing a mob storming the Capitol after his exhortation to “fight like hell” to overturn his defeat – and a solid bipartisan rejection of his claims that he’s no longer subject to the Senate’s jurisdiction.
That vote was 56-44, with a half-dozen Republicans agreeing that even a former president can be tried for misdeeds committed in office.
House managers used the footage to condemn Trump with his own words on Jan. 6 and to remind senators of the terror as rioters scuffled with police, sent lawmakers into hiding and briefly occupied the very chamber where they are sitting in judgment on whether Trump incited insurrection.
As a former president, Trump can’t be fired anymore. But the verdict will determine whether he can run for office. It will color his legacy, erode or enhance his grip over the GOP in coming years, and set a precedent for future presidents seeking to cling to power as their terms end.
“People’s eyes were gouged... . An officer lost three fingers that day,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-MD., the lead House manager, his voice breaking with emotion. “Senators, this cannot be our future . ... We cannot have presidents inciting and mobilizing mob violence against our government and our institutions because they refuse to accept the will of the people.”
David Schoen, Trump’s lead attorney, accused Democrats of trying to use their “insatiable lust for impeachment” as retribution for the 2016 election, and to prolong their own grip on Washington.
He decried an effort “to eliminate Donald Trump from the American political scene and seeking to disenfranchise 74 million American voters” who supported him and share his vision of
America. He glossed over the fact that Trump’s bid to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory would have nullified 81 million votes on the other side.
“This trial will tear this country apart,” he argued, accusing Democrats of turning to Hollywood to “chill and horrify you” with a gratuitous video of events still fresh in memory. “They don’t need to show you movies to show you that the riot happened.”
There’s little doubt about the outcome.
Democrats would need 17 Republicans to reach the twothirds needed and after the first day of trial, only a halfdozen Republicans have shown any willingness to convict, though Democrats aim also to turn public opinion against those who continue to stand by Trump as they did through four turbulent years.
The first day focused on the legality of the trial itself, with Trump’s lawyers insisting that as a private citizen, an ex-president is no longer subject to impeachment.
A lot can change in one year. All you have to do is look around.
You don’t need to ask Armuchee Middle School Cheer about that. The challenges have been plenty, but one particular constant has remained. And its a constant Armuchee Middle Cheer has been working at since last June.
On Feb. 6, Armuchee Middle School claimed its second consecutive Floyd County Athletic Association Region Championship. The successful region title defense caps off a season filled with quarantines, close contact tracing and distanced learning and training.
“It was like you would take one step forward and 10 steps back seems like every week,” coach Lindsey Barcomb said in a phone interview. “Through all that, resilience and adversity is what I told the girls. They were able to overcome so much that was thrown at them in such little prep time.”
“Honestly, being able to not be quarantined and being able to compete in the region championship was a win within itself,” Barcomb continued. “The victory’s sweet, but it was also an emotional moment because of all we’ve been through.”
The past 12 months became a roller coaster for Armuchee Middle School competition cheer.
On March 5, 2020, Barcomb had finalized her roster after tryouts. One week later, pupils would be out of school and the cascading wave of athletic cancellations would begin as the COVID-19 pandemic took grip across the nation.
Even in the months leading up to the region tournament, Barcomb noted how quarantines had forced Armuchee Middle School Cheer to pass on two December competitions.
“We came back from Christmas break eager to compete that first weekend, and then we had another girl quarantine,” Barcomb said. “In competition cheer, it’s not like pulling somebody off the sideline because you have to rework everything for that position. That was a setback of reworking night before a competition, setting girls in new positions.”
The day leading up to the region competition gave Barcomb a reassuring feeling knowing that all 17 girls on the team would get to compete the following day.
“All that we went through in December and the beginning of January was well worth it considering that we were all able to be together and hit the mat one last time together as a team,” Barcomb said.
With the middle school competition cheer season now over, Barcomb said her parting message with her group was Feb. 6 had been the culmination of all their effort throughout the season.
“This is what we worked for ... since last March,” Barcomb said. “Everything they have endured and encountered over time as a team ..., victory in the end was achieved.”
“And there is no offseason,” Barcomb added. “Stay in the gym. Keep working on those tumbling skills.”