The Democratic House impeachment managers rested their case Thursday that former President Donald Trump incited an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, telling the Senate jurors that a failure to hold Trump accountable will present a clear and ongoing danger to the U.S. and its democratic system of governance. The siege has already damaged the U.S. in the world, they argued, and letting Trump escape with no punishment would make that worse.
The impeachment managers summarized the evidence they have presented, saying it clearly shows that Trump primed his supporters for the attack over several months, urged them to gather in Washington then sent them to "stop the steal" at the Capitol, sat on his hands while violence raged, and has shown no remorse for his actions and inaction. Acquittal will invite a future president to try Trump's power grab again, they argued. "I'm not afraid Donald Trump is going to run again," Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) said. "I'm afraid he's going to run again and lose. Because he can do this again."
If you did not watch Day 3 of the impeachment trial, Politico summarized the day's arguments in 3 minutes.
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.
The Washington Post's 4-minute recap dug a little deeper into the managers' case.
And if you want more context without sitting through all 4 hours 25 minutes, PBS NewsHour condensed the day's presentation down to 13 minutes 51 seconds.
Trump's lawyers present their defense on Friday, and they say they intend to complete their rebuttal in one day, leaving open the possibility of a final verdict as soon as Saturday. "There is broad agreement among Republicans as well as Trump's team to end the impeachment trial as early as possible, given the beating they're taking from the media and the strength of the Democrats' presentation," Axios reports. And they have "begun feeding the notion that the trial will wrap on Saturday to reporters 'in an effort to speed things along,' a senior congressional aide told Axios."
-
Quiz of The Week: 11 – 17 OctoberQuiz Have you been paying attention to The Week’s news?
-
The Week Unwrapped: Can bullfighting win over young SpaniardsPodcast Plus, is online fandom inherently unhealthy? And is Putin’s economy running out of gas?
-
Heirs and Graces: an ‘enthralling’ deep dive into the decline of nobilityThe Week Recommends Eleanor Doughty explores the ‘bizarre fascination’ with the British aristocracy
-
Madagascar president in hiding, refuses to resignSpeed Read Andry Rajoelina fled the country amid Gen Z protests and unrest
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Israel, Hamas agree to first step of Trump peace planSpeed Read Israel’s military pulls back in Gaza amid prisoner exchange
-
Israel intercepts 2nd Gaza aid flotilla in a weekSpeed Read The Israeli military intercepted a flotilla of nine boats with 145 activists aboard along with medical and food aid
-
Japan poised to get first woman prime ministerSpeed Read The ruling Liberal Democratic Party elected former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi
-
Israel and Hamas meet on hostages, Trump’s planSpeed Read Hamas accepted the general terms of Trump’s 20-point plan, including the release of all remaining hostages
-
US tipped to help Kyiv strike Russian energy sitesSpeed Read Trump has approved providing Ukraine with intelligence for missile strikes on Russian energy infrastructure
-
Netanyahu agrees to Trump’s new Gaza peace planSpeed Read At President Trump's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, they agreed upon a plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza
