Impeachment 2.0 begins with a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. It is the court of impeachment. Hear ye, hear ye, it is the article of impeachment against Donald J Trump. Senator Leahy is acting as the chief judge. He is also a witness. And a juror.
Josh Hawley should be ousted as a juror. He is an inciter. And he can take Ted Cruz with him.
A vote is being taken on a new resolution on trial rules. Hawley, Lee, Rubio, Marshall, Rand Paul, Tuberville, Scott of Florida and Scott of South Carolina. Senator Hagerty of Tennessee, too. The resolution changes the timeline of the trial which will now go through every day.
Lead House Manager Jamie Raskin says “you will not be hearing extended lectures from me because our case is based on cold, hard facts. It’s all about facts.” He says Trump’s lawyers want to call the trial over before any evidence is being introduced.
Raskin introduces the first video evidence. It is visceral. “Take the building”- at the same time Trump is talking at his stop the steal rally and Pence is striding down the chamber floor. The video is uncensored. Lots of “Fuck the DC police.”
Video shows the gallows. American flag being banged into Capitol window. Rioters breaking down barriers and storming the Capitol. Pence is ushered off the floor. Officer Goodman is diverting the mob. Lankford form Oklahoma is about to object to the electoral votes. Breached.
The Impeachment Managers video exhibit is raw. “Pence is a traitor”. Trump hats, caps, flags everywhere. The House floor is evacuated. It is like we saw this in real time and watching it now is bringing it back. Ashli Babbitt shot and killed.
The video of Trump which he tweeted makes me want to puke. Two hours after the Capitol was stormed, he tells his people to go home. “We love you. You are very special.” 
House Mgr Neguse brings up disqualification, which would be a secondary element of the impeachment trial. *If* senators convict Trump, they could vote a second time to bar him from running for office in 2024. If Trump did this, what would he do if he had another chance?
Third House Impeachment Manger up is Rhode Island’s David Cicciline, former mayor of Providence. He said what happened on 1/6 is “a disaster of historic proportions. They could have killed us all.”
Bruce Castor, Trump’s third string lawyer is defending his client. But off the bat, he misspoke. He said he is chief “prosecutor” for Trump’s side. But, duh, he is serving as his defender. As a long time prosecutor, it was a hard habit to break. Mr. Defender of the 1st amendment.
Not for nothing, but Eric Holder has NOTHING to do with this trial. Now Castor is threatening Ben Sasse that he will be held hostage by angry Republicans if he votes to convict Trump.
Now up Defense lawyer Schoen. You might remember him from visiting Epstein a few days before he turned up dead. This is where I mute. I can’t listen to this moron talking about “unity”. He is playing to Donald, who is probably happy he is showing more energy than flat Castor.
Schoen shows a video montage of Democrats calling for Trump’s impeachment. Before, he was making fun of House Managers for showing “movies” of the attack on 1/6. Then he showed his. Given that Trump has been impeached twice, it’s not a stretch to say Dems see him as always unfit.
Finally, Schoen is done. Jamie Raskin is back talking about how bi partisan it is to have a recess. “We waive all further arguments, we give our 33 minutes of rebuttal back to the Senate.” A vote is being taken on whether the senate has jurisdiction for the impeachment trial.
The final vote is 56 to 44 that the trial is constitutional. The trial is adjourned till noon tomorrow.
Senate upholds constitutionality of Trump impeachment trial after 6 Republicans vote with Democrats
usatoday.com/story/news/pol…
usatoday.com/story/news/pol…
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