Washington, Feb 13: Donald Trump’s insurrection incitement charge is a “monstrous lie” and the impeachment proceedings against the former president a “politically motivated witch hunt” by the Democrats, his lawyers said as they presented evidence in the US Senate.
Trump, a Republican, is accused of inciting riots in the US Capitol on January 6 which left five people, including a police officer, dead. Trump’s lawyers Bruce Castor, David Schoen and Michael van der Veen each took turns addressing the Senate members on Friday, day four of Trump’s impeachment trial, to describe Trump as a staunch supporter of law and order, not someone who incited the chaos at the Capitol.
His attorneys had up to 16 hours over the course of two days to push back on House impeachment managers case that Trump should be convicted and barred from running for future office for inciting the attack on the Capitol to try to stop Joe Biden’s presidential election victory being certified.
There is a complete lack of evidence on the article of impeachment against Donald Trump, his lawyers told the United States Senate. “We have a complete lack of evidence for the article of impeachment presented by the House managers,” Trump’s lawyer Castor said.
The impeachment by the House, the case for which was laid out by the House managers in the Senate during the last two days, was political. “Their goal is to eliminate a political opponent, to substitute their judgment for the will of the voters,” he said as he showed clips of various Democratic leaders.
Castor said that the critical issue in this case is the very narrow issue that is charged against the 45th president. “That issue is did the 45th president engage in incitement of — they continue to say — insurrection. Clearly there was no insurrection,” he said. Trump’s lawyer van der Veen used his opening remarks to dispute the Democrats’ case that the former president had incited violence during his speech to supporters on January 6.
Trump had made allegations of voter fraud and urged his supporters to converge at the Capitol building a short while before the riot broke out.
“To claim that the president in any way wished, desired or encouraged lawless or violent behaviour is a preposterous and monstrous lie. In fact, the first two messages the president sent via Twitter once the incursion at the Capitol began were ‘Stay Peaceful’ and “No violence because we are the party of law and order,'” the lawyer said.
“The article of impeachment now before the Senate is an unjust and blatantly unconstitutional act of political vengeance,” Trump attorney van der Veen argued. (PTI)
