House impeachment managers are arguing it's downright dangerous to dismiss former President Donald Trump's second impeachment trial before it even begins.
Trump's lawyers argue his impeachment for alleged incitement of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol should be dismissed because he is now out of office. But lead House impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) started Tuesday's trial by outlining how that "radical argument" would let officials claim "constitutional impunity" for anything they do in their last month in office.
After presenting a 10-minute video of disturbing scenes from the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, Raskin warned that if Trump was spared even from being tried for inspiring the riot, it would create a "January exception" to the constitutional right to impeach presidents. "Conduct that would be a high crime or misdemeanor" throughout a president's first few years in office, "you can suddenly do in your last few weeks in office without facing any constitutional accountability at all" if Trump's case was dismissed, Raskin explained.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) dug further into the idea of a "January exception," explaining how the Constitution allowed for the impeachment of former officials throughout history.
Tuesday's impeachment proceedings will end with a Senate vote considering the constitutionality of the impeachment; 45 Senate Republicans agreed it was unconstitutional in a Jan. 28 vote.
-
Political cartoons for November 2Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include the 22nd amendment, homeless camps, and more
-
The dazzling coral gardens of Raja AmpatThe Week Recommends Region of Indonesia is home to perhaps the planet’s most photogenic archipelago.
-
‘Never more precarious’: the UN turns 80The Explainer It’s an unhappy birthday for the United Nations, which enters its ninth decade in crisis
-
ABC News to pay $15M in Trump defamation suitSpeed Read The lawsuit stemmed from George Stephanopoulos' on-air assertion that Trump was found liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll
-
Judge blocks Louisiana 10 Commandments lawSpeed Read U.S. District Judge John deGravelles ruled that a law ordering schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms was unconstitutional
-
ATF finalizes rule to close 'gun show loophole'Speed Read Biden moves to expand background checks for gun buyers
-
Hong Kong passes tough new security lawSpeed Read It will allow the government to further suppress all forms of dissent
-
France enshrines abortion rights in constitutionspeed read It became the first country to make abortion a constitutional right
-
Texas executes man despite contested evidenceSpeed Read Texas rejected calls for a rehearing of Ivan Cantu's case amid recanted testimony and allegations of suppressed exculpatory evidence
-
Supreme Court wary of state social media regulationsSpeed Read A majority of justices appeared skeptical that Texas and Florida were lawfully protecting the free speech rights of users
-
Greece legalizes same-sex marriageSpeed Read Greece becomes the first Orthodox Christian country to enshrine marriage equality in law
