WASHINGTON (AP) – Opening arguments are set to begin in Donald Trump’s impeachment trial.
An emotional first day ended Tuesday with the Senate voting to hear the case for convicting the former president of inciting the riot at the U.S. Capitol.
One Republican Senator, Williams Cassidy, changed his vote to side 5 other Republicans and all Democrats in voting that the trial was constitutional and that the U.S. Senate has jurisdiction.
Meantime, former President Donald Trump fumed that his attorneys’ performance on the opening day of his second impeachment trial was a disaster as allies and Republican senators questioned their strategy.
Trump watched the proceedings in Washington from his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday and was furious at what he saw.
Senators, too, balked at what they described as an unfocused and rambling performance as Trump’s team and Democratic.
Meantime, famed Attorney Alan Dershowitz, who represented Trump in his first impeachment trial, slammed a Trump impeachment attorney’s rambling opening remarks, saying he had “no idea what he’s doing.”
'There is no argument – I have no idea what he is doing,' @AlanDersh on Trump's defense lawyer Bruce Castor 'talking nice' to U.S. Senators – via Newsmax TV's 'American Agenda.' https://t.co/VlT7z8drtO pic.twitter.com/7P7uVk5X19
— Newsmax (@newsmax) February 9, 2021
House managers began to lay out their cases in front of the Senate jury. Trump was impeached for a historic second time over a riot at the Capitol by a mob of his supporters.
On the emotional first day of the trial the former president lost a key opening battle – the Senate voted that it has jurisdiction to try him even though he has left office.
Impeachment Manager Jamie Raskin opened in the trial with graphic video of the deadly Jan. 6 attack on Congress. There was also video of the former president whipping up a rally crowd to march to the Capitol and “fight like hell” to overturn his election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
Trump’s second impeachment trial kicked off with House impeachment managers and Trump’s counsel debating if the trial was constitutional. pic.twitter.com/KvcWsDeiOe
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) February 10, 2021
Trump is charged with inciting the violent mob attack. Democratic prosecutors argue Trump committed a “grievous constitutional crime,” but his defense team insists his fiery words at the rally were just figures of speech – and protected by the Constitution’s First Amendment.
(Copyright 2021 WBAP/KLIF 24/7 News. This report contains material from The Associated Press.)
