Donald Trump denies inciting Capitol riots as lawyers outline his defence in impeachment case
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Donald Trump's lawyers denied he incited the Capitol riots or sought to overturn the results of the election, insisting he was merely exercising his right to free speech as they laid out their defence strategy for the former president's impeachment trial.
“It is denied that President Trump incited the crowd to engage in destructive behaviour,” Mr Trump’s legal team wrote in a brief filed with the Senate ahead of the impeachment trial that is expected to get underway next week.
The former president “exercised his First Amendment right under the Constitution to express his belief that the election results were suspect,” Mr Trump’s lawyers wrote, “since with very few exceptions, under the convenient guise of Covid-19 pandemic ‘safeguards’ states election laws and procedures were changed by local politicians or judges without the necessary approvals from state legislatures.”
It came after Democrats claimed Mr Trump had endangered the lives of all members of Congress when he aimed a mob of supporters "like a loaded cannon" at the US Capitol, in their most detailed case yet for why he should be convicted and permanently barred from office.
Their legal brief forcefully links Mr Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the presidential election to the deadly Jan 6 riot at the Capitol, saying he bears "unmistakable" blame for actions that directly threatened the underpinnings of American democracy.
It argues that he must be found guilty when his impeachment trial opens before the Senate next week on a charge of inciting the siege.
"His conduct endangered the life of every single Member of Congress, jeopardized the peaceful transition of power and line of succession, and compromised our national security," the Democratic managers of the impeachment case wrote. "This is precisely the sort of constitutional offense that warrants disqualification from federal office."
It not only explicitly faults Mr Trump for his role in the riot but also aims to preemptively rebut defense claims that his words were protected by the First Amendment, or that an impeachment trial is unconstitutional now that he has left office.
It says Mr Trump's behavior was so egregious as to require permanent disqualification from office.
