GOP Senators signal acquitting Trump in impeachment trial

Washington: On Tuesday and Wednesday, the House impeachment managers presented US Senators with videos of their colleagues fleeing a pro-Trump mob, which breached the US Capitol shouting “stop the steal.” They showed the rioters searching for then-Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and rummaging through the senators’ desks on the chamber floor.

But even after witnessing the deadly violence first hand, and being reminded of it again at the scene of the crime, many Republican senators appeared no closer on Wednesday to convicting former President Donald Trump on the charge of “incitement of insurrection.”

While they were struck by the impeachment managers’ presentation, these Republicans said that the House Democrats did not prove Trump’s words led to the violent actions. They compared the January 6 riot to last summer’s racial justice protests and criticized how the trial is being handled, reported CNN.

Sen. Lindsey Graham said he couldn’t believe “we could lose the Capitol like that” but added that it didn’t change his mind on whether to acquit Trump during the trial. “I think there’s more votes for acquittal after today than there was yesterday,” he said on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is reportedly not pressuring his colleagues to acquit Trump even as the impeachment trial appears poised to wrap as soon as this weekend.

Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), an adviser to McConnell who hasn’t made a decision about whether to convict Trump, said he wasn’t getting any pressure from leadership.

Meanwhile, senior aides on the impeachment team said Thursday’s arguments would turn to the aftermath of the attack, including Mr. Trump’s role. They also plan to examine the harm caused by the riots, both physical and otherwise, the President’s lack of remorse and the legal issues that apply in this case.

“We on the team and the managers, we remain convinced that that evidence has the power to change minds and indeed we think we saw even a little bit more movement yesterday,” an aide said. “At the end of the day today, I think many of the questions raised by the senators who spoke to the press last night will have been answered thoroughly and their duty to convict will be clear.”

On Wednesday, the impeachment managers spent hours building the case that Mr. Trump was responsible for inciting the mob that assaulted the Capitol, arguing the attack was the violent culmination of months of efforts by the former president to undermine the integrity of the election.

The managers revealed previously unseen security footage from inside the halls of Congress to drive home just how close the rioters came to lawmakers, staff and Vice President Mike Pence, who had resisted Mr. Trump’s entreaties to obstruct the counting of electoral votes.

Image courtesy of (Photo courtesy ABC)

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