Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), one of the Democratic impeachment managers, made the case for convicting former President Donald Trump on Tuesday by reminding senators not only of what Trump said in the lead up to the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot, but also of what he didn't say.
Trump, Neguse argued, was the only person who would have been able to quell the mob, both because of his role as president and "because they believed they were following his orders." But instead he let it go on, Neguse continued.
Neguse acknowledged Trump did tell his supporters to go home "three-and-a-half hours later." But he suggested the message was halfhearted, noting it included Trump telling the crowd "you're very special, we love you." The congressman then drew up a hypothetical situation in which Trump had said "stop the attack" with "even half as much force" as he said "stop the steal" in the weeks after the November election. "How many lives would we have saved?," he wondered, referring to the five people who were killed as a result of the incident. Tim O'Donnell
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