The Senate rushed to acquit Donald J. Trump on Saturday on charges of “inciting insurrection”, with closing arguments ended and the voting started.
After days calling for actions by former President Donald J. Trump, House Democrats summed up his case by accusing him of impugnable inaction – citing his reluctance to stop the crowd that killed, maimed and scratched the heart of American democracy on his behalf.
“Think for a moment, just a moment, of the lives lost that day – of more than 140 injured,” said Rep. Joe Neguse, a Democrat from Colorado, one of the House’s impeachment managers.
“Ask yourself if, as soon as this started, President Trump just got on TV, just got on Twitter and said to stop the attack. How many lives would we have saved? ”He added.
The Democrats’ soft-spoken and emotional tone was in stark contrast to the furious, high-volume final statements made by Trump’s defense team, inspired and perhaps instigated by the belligerent ex-president.
“Senators, don’t let House Democrats take this manic crusade any further,” said Michael T. van der Veen, a personal injury lawyer who has emerged as the most combative member of Trump’s legal team. “You don’t have to give in to the lust of impeachment, dishonesty and hypocrisy. It is time to end this unconstitutional political theater. “
At the beginning of the day, it seemed that the trial might not come to an end quickly. In the morning, the Senate voted to allow witnesses at the trial after Democrats made a surprise offer to summon Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, a Washington Republican. They cited a statement she made on Friday night telling how Congressman Kevin McCarthy, the minority leader, told her about a phone call he had with Trump during the attack on the Capitol, in which Trump said the protesters were more upset about the election than Mr. McCarthy was.
Lawmakers from both parties were surprised by the witness request, which came shortly after Senate lead Republican Mitch McConnell of Kentucky privately told his colleagues that he was ready to absolve Trump, confirming that a conviction was extremely unlikely. .
Five Republicans – Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah and Ben Sasse of Nebraska – joined the Democrats in a 55-45 vote to support the call for more witnesses and evidence. (Graham, who warned that Republicans would force calls on several Democrats if the witnesses were voted, initially voted against the request.)
But calling witnesses would have prolonged an impeachment trial that members of both parties were eager to end, and the House’s impeachment managers and Trump’s defense team finally agreed to allow Herrera Beutler’s statement as evidence.
In a statement on Friday night, Herrera Beutler said McCarthy had told her about his frantic call to Trump on January 6, while the Capitol was under siege. She said McCarthy said she asked Trump “to end the turmoil publicly and forcefully”.
Mr. Trump responded by saying that the antifa, and not his supporters, was responsible. When McCarthy said this was not true, the former president was dry.
“Well, Kevin, I think these people are more upset about the election than you are,” he said, according to Herrera Beutler’s account of what McCarthy told her.
Ms. Herrera Beutler’s statement ended with an appeal for those who were in the White House with him that day, or former Vice President Mike Pence, to come forward and share eyewitness accounts and details about what they saw.