House Democrats conclude their case against Trump during impeachment trial
Feb 11, 2021
Washington [US], February 12 : On the third day of former US President Donald Trump's impeachment trial, House Democrats have concluded presenting their case against him in the Senate trial.
"We humbly, humbly, ask you to convict President Trump for the crime for which he is overwhelmingly guilty of. Because if you don't, if we pretend this didn't happen, or worse, if we let it go unanswered, who's to say it won't happen again?" House impeachment manager Joe Neguse said in his closing remarks, reported CNN
The Senate has adjourned until noon ET tomorrow.
During the trial, lead impeachment manager Jamie Raskin thanked the members of the Senate for the "close attention and seriousness of purpose" they demonstrated during their presentations.
"We've made our very best effort to set forth every single relevant fact that we know in the most objective and honest light. We trust, we hope, that the defense will understand the constitutional gravity and solemnity of this trial by focusing like a laser beam on the facts and not return to the constitutional argument that's already been decided by the Senate," CNN quoted Raskin in his closing remarks.
Following this, Trump's defense team will now have the opportunity to argue their case against conviction for up to 16 hours over two days. After the initial days of arguments conclude, senators will then have time to ask questions of the two legal teams.
A vote on the article of impeachment will be decided after four hours of closing arguments and an unspecified amount of time for senators to deliberate.
As the impeachment trial finished its third day, House Democrats in the Senate argued that Trump's acquittal would raise the potential for him to incite violence again in the future.
Trump is undergoing the trial for his role in inciting the deadly insurrection at the US Capitol last week. However, the upper chamber in Congress is unlikely to secure the two-thirds majority necessary to convict Trump that would bar him from holding office again.
However, only six Republicans voted that the trial itself was constitutional earlier this year. The Senate determined on Tuesday on a 56-to-44 vote that it has jurisdiction to try former president.
