The Trial of the Centuries
The second day of Trump’s impeachment trial was truly shocking — lots of new video that senators had never seen before plus new information about how close they all came to getting killed and how Trump not only did not do anything to stop it once it started, he planned it. The House Managers played the never heard before audio of police communications begging for help. They stitched everything together to not only tell the story of what happened during the attack, but they did it in such a way to show what Trump was doing simultaneously.
Many who watched day 2 of the trial were sickened and traumatized all over again — violent images, torture, and the revelation that it was just a matter of minutes before members of Congress and their staffs could have all been killed. Republicans were unmoved. Some accused the Democrats of politicizing trouble makers who were acting on their own. Others chickened out by hiding behind the idea that Trump is a private citizen and therefore can’t be impeached. The rest were defiant because they’re guilty of helping in some way.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a juror in the trial, spoke with Trump after the first day of the trial and told him not to worry, that “the case is over” and it will end in acquittal. He went on Fox to say that Republicans were offended by what the House Managers did. Then he asked the real question: “What did Nancy Pelosi know and when did she know it?”
Fox didn’t air the trial.
The House Managers have made their case after 2 days. It should be open and shut, there’s so much evidence. If this were a real trial, with real jurors, the defense would have already made a deal and it would be over.
The trial should have been aired all day on network television like the OJ Simpson trial was so that everybody who will be tuning in to watch junk TV will be privy to what’s going on with their democracy. Instead, those who are already informed are more informed and those who aren’t informed will be ready, ripe and willing to believe the right wing bullet points and quick sound bite propaganda, as usual.
Newly released Capitol security video was shown for the first time. It gave the perspective of inside the building when the mob broke in and scattered. New police bodycam video showed cops being beaten on the ground with sticks, poles, and fire extinguishers. Over 100 cops are suffering now from cracked ribs, smashed spinal discs, lacerations, brain damage, stab wounds, and the loss of fingers. One officer lost his eyesight.
Trump is on record, in his own words, actions, and tweets, for not only setting the whole thing up, but for egging the mob on, refusing to send help to the Capitol Police, and refusing to call the mob off. As House Manager Joaquin Castro put it, “Trump left everyone in the Capitol for dead.”
House Manager Stacey Plaskett laid out the conspiratorial timeline, including how Trump pumped his supporters up for weeks in advance, praising them for doing things like trying to run a Biden campaign bus off of the road in Texas.
Trump wanted the mob to kill Mike Pence because he was pissed at him for not fixing the election for him. He was in communication with Senator Tommy Tubberville inside the Capitol WHILE THE ATTACK WAS GOING ON to lobby him to block the vote and let him know when Pence left the chamber. As soon Trump got word that he had left, he attacked Pence on Twitter which was then read out loud to the crowd by a member of the mob using a bullhorn. Then the crowd fanned out into the Capitol yelling for Mike Pence and Nancy Pelosi. This was an hour and a half into the riot and Trump was watching it on TV. Trump had hoped that Pence would have been killed so he could invoke martial law and hold on to power. He never even inquired about Pence’s safety. He never called him. Trump is a psychopath.
House Managers built Pence up to be a real patriot who stood up to Trump. They’re hoping that that will appeal to the Republicans’ sense of patriotism, but it’s doubtful that that will work. If they’ve let things get this far, why do the right thing now?
Mitt Romney got to see a video of himself for the first time coming within an inch of his life as he unknowingly walked towards the mob when Officer Eugene Goodman directed him to turn back. The same with Chuck Schumer. The mob was seen on security camera footage right behind him.
The videos were so brutal that Democrats couldn’t eat when they broke for dinner because they were too shaken and sick to their stomachs. Republicans gorged themselves and made fun of Democrats. Josh Hawley wanted to know, “Are you gonna eat that? No? Can I have it? I’m starving!”
Like yesterday, Josh Hawley sat up in the gallery during the trial, going through paperwork (probably his book manuscript,) doing busy work with his feet propped up on the seat in front of him. He said, “What is going on right now is people do not approve of it. I mean they think it’s not legitimate, they think it’s a waste of time.”
“There is no video that House Managers can show that will make Joshua Hawley feel anything.” — Lawrence O’Donnell
Trump and Rudy Giuliani were calling senators during the riot to get them to draw things out to give the mob time to get there. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said they are looking into whether or not there were other senators who were part of the coordination.
House Manager David Cicilline made the argument that stopping the transfer of power was Trump’s sole focus for that day.
Former US senator of Arizona Jeff Flake tweeted: It is impossible to watch today’s impeachment trial and not be repelled, sickened and moved. There is no defense for former President Trump’s actions on January 6th. None.
To summarize day 2: 1. The attack on the Capitol was a planned attack and it was coordinated by the president of the United States. 2. It could have been way, way, way worse were it not for the quick thinking and actions taken by police officers who were outnumbered and badly weakened by the commander in chief. 3. Trump could have sent reinforcements for the Capitol Police and he didn’t. 4. Trump could have called the mob off and he didn’t. 5. Trump and the mob had inside help.
For a copy of the Trump-Ukraine Impeachment Inquiry Report, click here.
For a copy of the Mueller Report, click here.
For a list of attorneys giving legal analysis about the imploding Trump presidency on Twitter, click here.
For the best journalists to follow on Twitter, click here.
For straight news, check out these reliable sources on Twitter.
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