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As House managers made their case on Wednesday in former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial, the lead manager argued that Trump on Jan. 6 was “worse than someone who falsely shouts fire in a crowded theater.”
Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, head of the group of lawmakers who are serving as prosecutors, likened Trump to a rogue fire chief:
“ ‘It’s more like a case where the town fire chief, who’s paid to put out fires, sends a mob, not to yell fire in a crowded theater, but to actually set the theater on fire. And who then — when the fire alarms go off and the calls start flooding into the fire department asking for help — does nothing but sit back, encourage the mob to continue its rampage, and watch the fire spread on TV with glee and delight.’ ”
Raskin and the other House managers are presenting their arguments on Wednesday and Thursday. Trump faces a charge of inciting an insurrection in the wake of the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol by his supporters.
The former president’s defense attorneys — who have said Trump isn’t responsible for the attack — are due to make their case on Friday and Saturday.
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Trump’s former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, pushed back on the House managers’ arguments on Wednesday. Meadows tweeted: “There’s one line from President Trump’s January 6th speech that Democrats keep conveniently leaving out: ‘Peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.’”
In this screenshot taken from a congress.gov webcast, Rep. Jamie Raskin speaks on Wednesday at the impeachment trial.
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On Tuesday, the impeachment trial kicked off in the Senate with a 56-44 vote in favor of its constitutionality, allowing the proceedings to continue. The House managers on Tuesday also showed extensive video of Trump’s Jan. 6 speech and the storming of Capitol, and they were expected to play never-before-seen footage on Wednesday.
In his arguments on Wednesday, Raskin talked not just about fire chiefs, but also cops and robbers, as he made a reference to Antonin Scalia, the late conservative Supreme Court justice.
“As Justice Scalia once said, memorably, ‘you can’t ride with the cops and root for the robbers,’” Raskin said.
Markets aren’t expected to get shaken by this week’s proceedings. U.S. stocks SPX, +0.22% DJIA, +0.43% traded slightly higher on Wednesday.
