The nine House Democrats who will act as impeachment managers during the trial in the Senate have put out an 80-page briefing outlining their case. They argue that Mr Trump violated his oath of office, attacked the democratic process, imperiled Congress, and undermined national security.
After 45 Senate Republicans voted for a resolution saying that an impeachment trial of a former president is unconstitutional, the House impeachment managers argue that it is within their jurisdiction to try a former president. They cite examples from history including that “former officials in England and the early American states were subject to impeachment and disqualification for abuses committed in office,” and that the framers “adhered” to that same tradition.
The briefing says that Mr Trump “summoned a mob to Washington, spun them into a frenzy, and aimed them like a loaded cannon down Pennsylvania Avenue”.
The House Democrats are arguing that Mr Trump needs to be barred from ever holding federal office again, writing: “This is not a case where elections alone are a sufficient safeguard against future abuse; it is the electoral process itself that President Trump attacked and that must be protected from him and anyone else who would seek to mimic his behavior.”
Read the full impeachment case against President Trump below:
They go on to say that Mr Trump “offends everything that the Constitution stands for”.
To support their arguments, the House Impeachment managers include a “statement of facts” with their briefing. These include Mr Trump’s refusal to accept the election results, his encouragement of his followers to come to DC on 6 January to “fight” to overturn the election results, Vice President Pence’s refusal to aid Mr Trump in overturning the election, Mr Trump’s incitement of his supporters that led to the Capitol riot and his “dereliction of duty during the attack”. Finally, the House Impeachment managers note that the vote to impeach Mr Trump was bipartisan as ten Republicans joined the Democrats.
“President Trump never disputed the facts that gave rise to his impeachment, which were captured on recordings. Instead he merely stated publicly that what he did was appropriate,” the impeachment managers write and argue that “The Framers themselves would not have hesitated to convict on these facts”.
Citing the example of the nation’s first president, George Washington, who “willingly relinquished his office after serving two terms,” the nine House Democrats argue that the thus far neverending chain of peaceful transitions of power ended on 6 January 2021 because of Mr Trump’s actions.