Tag: Thursday

Democratic House impeachment officials are preparing to close their case against former President Donald J. Trump on Thursday as they move quickly with the Senate trial.

House directors presented for nearly eight hours on Wednesday, accompanying the jury – senators who were on Capitol Hill during the Jan.6 attack – through footage of the riot and Mr. Trump’s speeches in the weeks leading up to it. Most of this information was publicly available and previously televised.

But parts of their presentation – like footage from security cameras of staff sheltering in offices and radio conversations from Capitol Hill police officers – had not been released before. The timeline of events, however, and much of the content shown would have been familiar to most Americans who watched the assault as it unfolded.

Lawyers for Mr. Trump, who have yet to present their case, have dismissed the lawsuit itself as unconstitutional. It is still unclear whether they will attempt to respond directly to the House prosecutors’ arguments.

The Senate will meet again Thursday at noon.

What did the house managers leave in the store?

Democrats prosecuting Mr. Trump went to great lengths on Wednesday not only to remind senators of the violence that took place on January 6, but also to directly link those scenes to the statements he made.

Several senators said they left moved.

“They had a solid presentation put together in a way that I think makes it pretty compelling,” South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the House’s No. 2 Republican, told reporters afterwards.

Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the House’s senior manager, suggested his team intended to open their presentation Thursday with even more, and could continue with the flood of uncomfortable memories for much of the time that they had remained until eight o’clock. It may also be that Mr. Raskin is simply hoping to summarize the arguments advanced Wednesday before closing his case.

Either way, those in charge of the house would have to present for several more hours.

Will Trump’s Lawyers Respond?

The remaining evidence House officials presented to the jury may be intended to pressure Mr. Trump’s lawyers to confront the case. So far, his lawyers have sought to avoid arguing the case on the merits, claiming that the trial itself was in violation of the Constitution.

But the case presented by the leaders included numerous clips of Mr Trump, in the weeks leading up to the riot, in which he falsely claimed the election was stolen from him and urged his supporters to fight what he has. qualified as widespread electoral fraud.

If House directors choose to spend most of Thursday focusing on Mr. Trump and his fiery message, however, this could add to the pressure on his lawyers to mount a more comprehensive defense in the cases. days to come.

If they do, lawyers are generally expected to argue that the comments were merely opinions protected by the First Amendment and that Mr. Trump was entitled to tell his supporters to fight for election security or to express their own political views.

But lawyers for the former president have made it clear that they plan to act quickly. The trial schedule has already been shifted after a member of Mr. Trump’s defense team, David I. Schoen, withdrew a request to stay the trial on Friday night to observe the Jewish Sabbath.

How can I follow the trial?

The New York Times will follow developments with live updates and analysis throughout. Visit nytimes.com for coverage throughout the week.