Donald Trump committed the “most grievous constitutional crime” of any US president when he incited supporters to storm the Capitol last month, Democratic prosecutors say on the eve of his Senate impeachment trial.
In their final filing before the Senate’s 100 members sit in judgment of Trump, the nine House impeachment managers prosecuting the Republican leader also insist that the case should not be dismissed.
Trump’s lawyers pushed for a dismissal in a document released hours earlier, saying the Senate “lacks jurisdiction” to try Trump, who left office on January 20, because he is no longer a sitting president.
The Democratic managers directly reject the argument and say there is “overwhelming” evidence of impeachable high crimes and misdemeanors.
Rioters loyal to then-US president Donald Trump storm the US Capitol in Washington, January 6, 2020. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
“His incitement of insurrection against the United States government — which disrupted the peaceful transfer of power — is the most grievous constitutional crime ever committed by a president,” they say.
“The article of impeachment properly alleges an impeachable offense under the Constitution, is not subject to a motion to dismiss (and) is within the jurisdiction of the Senate sitting as a Court of Impeachment,” they write.
The five-page filing comes as Republicans prepare to circle the wagons around the former president and ensure that he is acquitted of the single article of impeachment for “incitement of insurrection.”
There is also mounting pressure for a rapid conclusion to the trial so that the Senate can turn to legislative priorities, including President Joe Biden’s massive coronavirus relief package.
Then US-president Donald Trump arrives on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington, January 12, 2021, (Gerald Herbert/AP)
We can't do this work alone.
The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident – ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded – I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.
There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.
As a Times of Israel reporter, I’m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit’s. But my colleagues and I can't do this alone. If you value work like this,please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
From the Liveblog of
Monday, February 8, 2021
