Here’s a challenge: Make the argument that Donald Trump had nothing to do with the riot at the Capitol after the first few days of the impeachment trial.
@PunchbowlNews It’s damn tough.
The Democratic impeachment managers did something Wednesday that desperately needed to be done: They laid out in a thorough, comprehensive and digestible manner what Trump said and did in the months and days leading up to the bloody Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
@PunchbowlNews They covered all aspects of Trump’s shocking behavior -- his provocative tweets, TV interviews and speeches claiming the election was being stolen; his months-long campaign to undermine the American public’s faith in the election results;
@PunchbowlNews his efforts, both public and private, to overturn those results once it was clear he lost, especially his attempts to pressure former Vice President Mike Pence;
@PunchbowlNews his repeated appeals to his supporters to come to Washington on Jan. 6, the same day Congress was set to certify Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory;
@PunchbowlNews his inflammatory speech that day on the Ellipse, including his exhortation to thousands of angry followers to “fight like hell” and march on the Capitol; his unwillingness to act once it was clear that a violent insurrection had broken out on Capitol Hill
@PunchbowlNews ; and the physical and mental damage left in the wake of the attack, including dead and wounded police officers who threw themselves in harm’s way to protect members, senators, and American democracy itself.
@PunchbowlNews It was a riveting, utterly damning indictment of the 45th POTUS. No 1 who watched the presentation can come away believing Trump didn’t have a direct role in inciting the cataclysm of violence that erupted that day. Whether he should be convicted and sanctioned is another issue.
@PunchbowlNews You can argue that the House’s lightning-fast impeachment process denied Trump his due process rights, and you’d have a case. You can argue that Congress can’t impeach a former president, and that’s fine, it’s a legitimate point.
@PunchbowlNews You can say that the House should’ve held hearings and taken their time instead of rushing to impeach; that’s a debate worth having. You can argue his speech is protected by the Constitution -- and you might be able to score legal points there.
@PunchbowlNews You can argue that his behavior doesn’t meet the standards for incitement.
Of course, the Sen is not an impartial jury, and this isn’t a legal trial but rather a political process.
@PunchbowlNews But you simply cannot say that Trump had nothing to do with the insurrection at the Capitol. That’s not an argument anyone can make with a straight face.
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A newsy ☀️ @PunchbowlNews laying out our reporting from the Capitol on the Democrats strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
Strengths: House Ds clearly have the better arguments. All the jurors lived through the Jan. 6 attack. The American public saw it.
@PunchbowlNews They saw Trump claiming for months that the election was stolen from him and his supporters. They saw the president of the United States suggest that his supporters should go to the Capitol.
Then they saw those protestors smash their way into the Capitol. The Democrats’ claim is all pretty clear cut. We also saw on Tuesday that the former president’s defense team is … lackluster to say the least. So Rep. Jamie Raskin’s (D-Md.) squad has the advantage here.
We spoke for a bit last night with Steve Ricchetti, counselor to President Biden, and one of the most powerful people in the White House
He laid out in detail what Biden sees as must haves in his agenda and the future
@PunchbowlNews —> Must haves in Covid relief: “The checks and the direct assistance, you know the the additional $1,400 in the checks is vitally important and was really certainly at the top of the list for us in terms of what we think is important and was a campaign commitment."
Richetti on UI: "The extension of … unemployment insurance is really, really … important.”
→ 10 Rs wrote a letter to @JoeBiden proposing a pared back Covid relief bill. Ds spent all day dismissing it as half baked and as evidence Rs were not serious.
@JoeBiden@SenatorCollins@AOC@SpeakerPelosi → As Biden huddles with Collins and Co., Democrats have to figure out how to pass a budget and assemble a Covid-relief package. They have to thread the needle between the two poles in their caucus: @SenSanders and @Sen_JoeManchin.
The politics of the r letter, as we laid out in @PunchbowlNews special edition this am
→ The Senate GOP letter comes as Democratic leaders on the hill # are preparing to move forward this week on Biden’s $1.9 trillion Covid relief package -- with or without Republican support.
Red state Democrat Sen. Jon Tester (Mont.) said this on CNN’s Inside Politics Sunday morning: “I don't think $1.9 trillion, even though it is a boatload of money, is too much money. I think now is not the time to starve the economy.”
→ It shows the political scramble around Covid relief now that Biden is in the Oval Office. Many of these GOP senators are in the Senate Sweet 16™ group. But this proposal is Republican only.
We can’t speak for every R or D in the Sweet 16™, but we can say this without a doubt: There’s frustration on the R side that @JoeBiden, @SenSchumer (N.Y.) & Ds appear headed toward taking a one-party approach to Covid relief
Dems controlled all of govt. it took them forever to pass obamacare bc they first waited for Rs to support. then they squirmed
They later regretted doing too little too late. unemployment went to 10%. they lost the majority
Fast-forward to today. Democrats control the White House and Congress again. A new Democratic president faces multiple crises, including a pandemic and severe economic downturn. The federal government has spent trillions of dollars to try to prop up the sputtering economy
Dems want another $1.9 trillion for Covid relief. Some Rs are suggesting they will cooperate -- just like they did in 2009 -- but this time, Democrats say they won’t go halfway or wait to see if Republicans join their efforts.