House Managers Wrap Up Arguments In Senate Impeachment Trial

House Impeachment Managers wrapped up their case for convicting former President Donald Trump of inciting the January 6th insurrection. Over two days, the nine Democrats used video clips and slides to deliver a comprehensive argument that Mr. Trump bears singular responsibility for the January 6 uprising at the Capitol that resulted in five deaths.

It still seems next to impossible that two-thirds of the Senators now sitting as jurors will vote to convict President Trump, but most reportedly followed the prosecutors’ arguments with rapt attention.

Senators heard a recording of Capitol police desperately calling for help as the mob first breached the scaffolding set up on the west side of the Capitol. The saw and heard chilling cell phone video of one rioter stalking the halls and calling out "Oh, Nancy!" as they searched for Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Security video showed Vice President Pence and his family being hustled to safety, as hundreds of insurrectionists shouted for him to be hanged not far away.

The House managers made the case that a similar incident involving militant supporters of President Trump at the Michigan Capitol in Lansing last April, prompted by the governor's COVID-19 lockdown order, showed Trump the power he held over his supporters.

"He built this mob over many months with repeated messaging until they believed that they had been robbed of their vote," said Impeachment Manager Rep. Eric Swalwell, (D-CA).

The president's speech January 6th, they say, was simply just the final act.

"President Trump used the word 'fight' or 'fighting' 20 times," said Rep. Madeleine Dean, (D-PA). "Including telling the crowd they needed to 'fight like hell' to save our democracy, and so they came, draped in Trump's flag and used our flag, the American flag, to batter and to bludgeon."

"Trump incited the January 6th attack," said Lead Impeachment Manager Rep. Jamie Raskin, (D-MD). "When his mob overran and attacked, he watched it on TV like a reality show. He reveled in it, and he did nothing to help us as Commander-in-Chief. Instead, he served as the inciter-in-chief."

The attorneys defending Mr. Trump will have Friday and Saturday to make their case for acquittal, although it’s possible they will only use one day, in which case the final vote could happen as early as Saturday.