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10:00
In contrast to Donald Trump apparently watching the progress of the impeachment trial on TV from Florida, president Joe Biden has been getting on with his work. Yesterday White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden was president, not a pundit, and so wouldn’t be commenting on the proceedings. Instead, while the drama unfolded in the Senate, Biden was meeting with business leaders to discuss his coronavirus rescue plan.
President Biden (@POTUS)
This afternoon, I met with business leaders from across the country to discuss the state of our economy and the American Rescue Plan. I’m confident that by working together, we’ll get the economy growing again and get the American people back on their feet. pic.twitter.com/0SmUe0lUxh
For the senators riveted to their seats, forced to relive the nightmarish quality of that day, there was something especially spooky about watching the mob rampaging through the very building where they were sitting, smashing windows, crushing police officers in doors, waving far-right regalia and chanting “Fight for Trump!”
For Republicans, it must have been uniquely stomach-churning to see what their champion had unleashed – knowing that most of them will continue to defend them during this trial for fear of angering his “base”. Never can they have been so relieved to have been wearing masks that concealed their expressions from the press gallery.
The video Democratic congressman Jamie Raskin showed ended with a tweet from Trump from that day insisting this is what happens when an election is stolen (it wasn’t stolen). He told his fans: “Go home with love & peace! Remember this day forever!”
The montage was an early indication that, whereas Trump’s first impeachment trial a year ago – which turned on a phone call seeking political favours from Ukraine – was like a white-collar criminal case, this time is more akin to a mob trial with Trump cast as the instigator of violent thugs.
It was a dramatic, roaring start to the trial that promises to plant a giant exclamation mark at the end of the Trump presidency. Raskin and his eight fellow House impeachment managers want to make sure that 6 January will become the operatic climax of America’s four years of living dangerously.
They also want to send a message. They are aware that the world’s faith in America has been badly shaken by the election and presidency of a reality TV star who thrives on petty insults and breaking rules. And they are aware that the 6 January riot may have been breaking point for some.
But Joe Biden likes to say that betting against America is always a bad bet. His election and orderly inauguration last month sent a signal to the world that it should not write off the young republic yet.
Read more of David Smith’s analysis here: Democrats use Trump trial to show sometimes symbolism is the point
09:49
The vote to proceed with the trial had shifted slightly in the Senate since the last time they were asked the question on whether the trial would be constitutional. In part, the New York Times suggests, to the performance of Donald Trump’s legal team. They write:
The defense’s case drew perplexed reactions from Republicans, evidently including Mr. Trump, who — barred from Twitter and out of sight in Florida — lacks the public megaphone he frequently used to weigh in on his first trial. The performance prompted at least one Republican, Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, to side with Democrats on the vote to allow the trial to proceed.
“Anyone who listened to President Trump’s legal team saw they were unfocused, they attempted to avoid the issue and they talked about everything but the issue at hand,” said Mr. Cassidy, who had voted last month in favor of a constitutional objection to the trial and was the only Republican to switch his position on the matter on Tuesday. He quickly drew rebukes from the Louisiana Republican Party.
The Times also reminds us that we may not be detained with this trial for that long…
With senators in both parties eager to conclude an undertaking whose outcome was clear, they agreed to rules that would allow for an extraordinarily rapid impeachment trial, with a verdict expected as soon as this weekend. It could conclude in as little as half the time of Mr. Trump’s first trial, when senators acquitted him of charges related to a pressure campaign on Ukraine.
The speed reflected Democrats’ fears that pausing to judge Mr. Trump would spoil the momentum behind President Biden’s agenda. Republicans, too, had good reason to want the trial over with, closing a chapter that has been divisive and damaging to their party.
After nearly four hours of debate yesterday, a divided US Senate finally voted 56 to 44 to proceed with the historic second impeachment trial of Donald Trump. House Democrats opened the trial with a chilling and dramatic video of the Capitol siege. The House impeachment managers warned that allowing Trump to escape punishment would establish a ‘January exception’ for presidents to betray their oaths of office. In their rebuttal, Trump’s defence team argued that the trial was not only unconstitutional but would ‘open up new and bigger wounds across the nation’ and was based on the Democrats not wanting ‘to face Donald Trump as a political rival in the future’. Here’s our video wrap of yesterday’s events…
Key moments as Senate votes in favour of Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial – video
09:35
Hello, and welcome to our live coverage of US politics and the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump. Here’s a catch-up on where we are, and what we can expect today.
Yesterday a divided US Senate voted to proceed with the historic trial after an emotional opening day in which the prosecution argued that the former president was singularly responsible for inciting the deadly assault on the US Capitol.
Six Republicans broke ranks with their party to vote in favor of the trial – but that number is way short of the 17 required to vote with Democrats to find the former president guilty.
The chamber was stunned into silence by a chilling and dramatic opening video montage of the Capitol siege that threatened the lives of the former vice-president, Mike Pence, members of Congress, and everyone working in the building that day.
The Senate will reconvene at noon today – that’s 5pm in the UK – and the impeachment managers will begin their sixteen hours of permitted time to lay out their arguments.
There were 92,666 new coronavirus cases recorded yesterday, and a further 3,031 deaths. Hospitalizations dipped below 80,000 for the first time since mid-November, and 33.3m people have now received at least one dose of vaccine.
A coalition of prominent celebrities, indigenous leaders and environmental groups have written to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris urging them to shut down the Dakota Access pipeline which is operating without a legal permit.
Hafta Ichi
Source: The Guardian
Keyword: Trump impeachment– live updates | US news
