At least a dozen Republican Senators reportedly walked out of the Senate impeachment trial on Thursday, after lead House impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) tried to argue that years of Trump rallies were incitement to violence.
National Review reporter John McCormack reported several Republican Senators left the chamber during part of Raskin’s presentation, and missed the subsequent argument of Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA), who argued that Trump was a future danger.
Inside the Senate chamber:
Trump’s 2016 rivals Rubio, Cruz, and Graham watched intently as video documented Trump’s 2015-2020 remarks making light of or justifying political violence.
Graham, Rubio, and Cruz then left and didn’t watch Lieu’s presentation from the floor.
— John McCormack (@McCormackJohn) February 11, 2021
At least a dozen Senate Republicans skipped at least part of Lieu’s presentation.
Lieu warned of history repeating itself:“I’m afraid [Trump is] going to run again and lose.”
— John McCormack (@McCormackJohn) February 11, 2021
Raskin tried to claim that Trump’s speech on January 6 incited the Capitol riot because he had spent years encouraging supporters to commit acts of violence, or condoning past acts of violence, often using specific coded language to do so.
Specifically, Raskin claimed Trump had incited violence against public officials in the past. He tried, for example, to link Trump to the plot uncovered (by the Trump administration) to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer last fall, though one of the alleged plotters was a Black Lives Matter supporter, and another plotter had an anarchist flag and hated police.
Raskin also claimed, falsely, that Trump had praised neo-Nazis who rioted in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 — a familiar lie known as the “very fine people” hoax.
In fact, Trump said the neo-Nazis should be “condemned totally.”
Byron York of the Washington Examiner reported Friday morning that Raskin’s tactics had “turned off Republicans”:
On Thursday, managers moved into political realm and probably lost support. Attempted to link Capitol riot to 2016 Trump campaign rallies and controversies during Trump presidency. Raskin called it 'Donald Trump's continuing pattern and practice of inciting violence.' 2/9
— Byron York (@ByronYork) February 12, 2021
Sens. Cruz (TX), Graham (SC), and Rubio (FL) reportedly conferred with Trump’s defense lawyers on Thursday.
Story cited here.