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February 11, 2021 Donald Trump's supporters who stormed the Capitol on January 6, in one of the darkest pages of US democratic history, were convinced they were acting on the orders of the former president. This is the thesis that the Democrats are trying to demonstrate on the third day of the tycoon's impeachment trial, accused of "instigating insurrection". The team leading the prosecution in the Senate continued the opening presentation after showing, the previous day, some unpublished videos of the assault that shocked the country and made parliamentarians relive that moment of terror.
US President Joe Biden, who has always been very cautious about the proceedings against his predecessor, commented, speaking with reporters in the Oval Office, that those images could make some "change their minds". So far, Republicans have mostly remained compact, and only six out of 50 senators have voted alongside Democrats in favor of the legitimacy of the trial on the first day of the trial. A 2/3 qualified majority would be required to reach a Trump conviction, which can only be achieved if 17 members of the Grand Old Party turn their backs on the tycoon. The hypothesis seems unlikely, but certainly the new videos of the assault make it more embarrassing for Republicans to support their former president.
Images of the attack have been circulating since the day of the riot, but the reconstruction shown in the courtroom by the Democrats provided new details on the attackers, showed scenes of police heroism and whispers of desperation from the staff. And it showed how close the country was to chaos by certifying Joe Biden's victory and Trump's subsequent defeat. The footage captured rioters roaming threateningly inside the Capitol looking for Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, calling for their hanging.
New important details have also emerged from Alabama Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville who admitted warning the tycoon that his deputy had been evacuated, just in the hours when Trump on Twitter accused him of not having the courage to stop. the certification of the results of the Electoral College and the subsequent ratification of Biden's victory in the presidential elections.
Democrats are using their remaining hours of discussion to expose the physical and mental damage caused by the attack and Trump's lack of action. It will then be up to the former president's legal team, consisting of David Schoen and Bruce Castor Jr., to defend the tycoon's position. The two have already appealed to the first amendment to ask for the acquittal of their client and probably in the hours they have available they will try to charge all the blame to the rioters. It is unclear when the final vote will take place, but Republicans have expressed a desire to conclude the trial quickly, even by Saturday. Meanwhile, five members of the far-right group Proud Boys have been indicted by the Justice Department for the assault on the Capitol. The same group that Trump did not condemn during the first televised debate against Biden during the electoral campaign and to which he said to "stay behind" and "stay on hold".