"The evidence will show you that ex-president Trump was no innocent bystander," Lead impeachment manager Jamie Raskin says, adding that Trump "surrendered his role as commander in chief and became the inciter in chief."
"He incited this attack and he saw it coming. To us, it may have felt like chaos and madness, but there was method in the madness that day," Raskin says about Trump.
He says the attack was an organized attempt to overturn the Electoral College results.
He says the attack was an organized attempt to overturn the Electoral College results.
Raskin: "This case is not about blaming an innocent bystander...this is about holding accountable the person singularly responsible for inciting the attack."
Raskin notes that Trump repeatedly refused to concede the election, attacked its legitimacy, and "continued to aggressively promote January 6 to his followers."
He says the mob organized "so openly" because they were "sent here by the president."
He says the mob organized "so openly" because they were "sent here by the president."
Raskin on Jan. 6: "This assault unfolded live on television before a horrified nation."
Something I've found interesting is how my family/friends watching on TV knew the attack was extremely bad before I did, and I was inside the building.
Something I've found interesting is how my family/friends watching on TV knew the attack was extremely bad before I did, and I was inside the building.
Raskin is now playing the video released by Trump that afternoon, saying that Trump had acted as "inciter in chief" by continuing to spread the lie that the election was stolen.
"Donald Trump refused to accept his loss even after this attack."
"Donald Trump refused to accept his loss even after this attack."
I will never forget sitting on the floor in a secure location on 1/6 after evac with senators, surrounded by armed law enforcement, and hearing a reporter play the video of Trump over his phone. Will never forget hearing the president say "we love you, you're very special."
Raskin highlights this tweet from Trump on 1/6. "Remember this day forever!" 
Raskin is now pushing back against the argument from Trump's lawyers that impeachment is basically cancel culture.
"Incitement to violence is of course not protected in the first amendment," Raskin said.
"Incitement to violence is of course not protected in the first amendment," Raskin said.
Raskin says that Trump broke his oath of office.
"When he incited insurrection on Jan. 6, he broke that oath. He violated that duty."
"When he incited insurrection on Jan. 6, he broke that oath. He violated that duty."
Raskin cites a BuzzFeed News report about a black Capitol Police officer who said he was called the n-word 15 times on 1/6.
"That's the question for all of you in this trial. Is this America?" Raskin asks.
"That's the question for all of you in this trial. Is this America?" Raskin asks.
Impeachment manager Joe Neguse has taken the podium: "If we are to protect our republic...He must be convicted."
Neguse says that the mob was provoked by Trump, and therefore the attack was "predictable and foreseeable."
He notes Trump was the only one the mob would listen to.
"He had the power to stop it. And he didn't," Neguse says.
He notes Trump was the only one the mob would listen to.
"He had the power to stop it. And he didn't," Neguse says.
Neguse on Trump's supporters at the Capitol on 1/6: "They truly believed they were doing this for him. They even predicted that he would protect them."
Neguse presents this slide to show how Trump provoked the mob:
Neguse says Trump "planted the seed" of the "big lie" that the election was stolen even before the election, by saying that the only way he could lose the election was if it was stolen/rigged.
"What does he do with his back against the wall, when all else has failed?" Neguse says about Trump after his efforts to overturn the election via lawsuit have failed. Trump went back to his reporters, Neguse says, and urged them to "stop the steal."
"When he saw firsthand the violence his conduct was creating, he didn't stop it...He didn't just tell them to fight like hell. He told them how, where and when," Neguse says about Trump.
Neguse is now playing video from Trump's speech at the rally on January 6, just hours before the mob overran the Capitol. Trump reiterated that the election was stolen, and told his supporters to march down Pennsylvania Ave to the Capitol.
Neguse plays video of this Trump quote at the rally:
"You have to get your people to fight, because you'll never take back our country with weakness. We fight. We fight like hell. And if you don't fight like hell, we're not going to have a country anymore."
"You have to get your people to fight, because you'll never take back our country with weakness. We fight. We fight like hell. And if you don't fight like hell, we're not going to have a country anymore."
Neguse reiterates, based on Trump's words before and after the election, that: "He incited it. It was foreseeable."
Neguse on Trump: "He assembled the mob, he summoned the mob, and he incited the mob."
Neguse questions what would have happened if Trump had immediately denounced the riot once it started.
"If he had done so with even half as much force as he said 'stop the steal,' how many lives would have been saved?"
"If he had done so with even half as much force as he said 'stop the steal,' how many lives would have been saved?"
Neguse is now quoting rioters who have since been arrested, and said that they believed they were following Trump's orders.
Neguse concludes by remembering when the House and Senate finished counting Electoral Votes at 4am.
"I'm humbled to be back with you today...I hopeful at this trial, we can use our resolve and our resilience to again uphold our democracy," Neguse says.
"I'm humbled to be back with you today...I hopeful at this trial, we can use our resolve and our resilience to again uphold our democracy," Neguse says.
Impeachment manager Joaquin Castro (after saying "good afternoon, y'all" to the senators):
"This attack did not come from one speech, and it didn't happen by accident."
"This attack did not come from one speech, and it didn't happen by accident."
Castro is now playing a video compilation of Trump supporters saying before the election that it would be rigged.
Castro talks about the illegitimacy of Trump's calls to "stop the count" when he seemed to be ahead in certain states:
"We don't stop counting when one person is ahead. We count every vote."
"We don't stop counting when one person is ahead. We count every vote."
Interestingly, Castro is not pointing out that many in the Republican Party - including many senators - tacitly or explicitly supported Trump's lie that the election was stolen.
Impeachment manager Eric Swalwell will make the argument that Trump stirred outrage among his supporters after the election.
"He doused the flames with kerosene," Swalwell says.
"He doused the flames with kerosene," Swalwell says.
"He was dialing into meetings, holding rallies, appearing on television, continuing to spread the big lie that his election victory was stolen," Swalwell says.
Swalwell: "He was saying anything he could trigger and anger his base so they would fight like hell to do anything they could to overturn the election. And it worked."
Swalwell: "What President Trump did is the polar opposite of what any of us would do if we lost an election."
Not sure if that's totally true.
Not sure if that's totally true.
Swalwell says Trump used his supporters: "He made them believe that their victory was stolen, and incited them so he could use them to steal the election for himself."
Swalwell also referenced his days as a prosecutor - “President Trump’s conduct leading up to Jan. 6 was deliberate, planned and premeditated. This was not one speech, not one tweet, it was dozens in rapid succession with the specific details.”
"This was a deliberate, premeditated incitement to his base to attack our Capitol," Swalwell says about Jan. 6. "And it was foreseeable."
The Senate is now going on a 15 minute break.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
