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Washington (AP) - At the end of their two-day presentation in the impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump, the prosecutors urgently demanded a conviction of the former US president.
Trump incited his supporters to storm the US Capitol, and if this goes unpunished, the Republican could instigate further violence, the prosecutors in the US Senate warned.
They argued that Trump's supporters clearly followed the instructions of the then president in their attack.
The prosecution team also accused Trump of encouraging his supporters to use violence in the past.
This Friday it is now Trump's defense lawyers' turn to present their arguments.
On January 6, supporters of the elected president violently stormed the Capitol.
Congress met there to officially confirm the election victory of Trump's successor Joe Biden.
Five people were killed in the riots, including a police officer.
Trump had stirred up his supporters at a rally shortly before that the election victory had been stolen from him.
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The Democrats accuse him of “inciting a riot” and have initiated impeachment proceedings in the House of Representatives.
This procedure is managed and decided in the Senate.
The Congress Chamber takes on the role of a court.
With the process, the Democrats want to hold Trump accountable even after leaving the White House and at the same time ensure that he is banned from future offices at the federal level.
The prerequisite for this would be that the Republican is convicted in the process.
The necessary two-thirds majority in the Senate is currently not foreseeable.
Prosecutors began setting out their allegations against Trump on Wednesday, using dramatic video footage and a meticulous retelling of the Capitol attack.
They accuse Trump of having prepared the ground for the attack with his election fraud allegations for months and ultimately having deliberately instigated and orchestrated the outbreak of violence.
Prosecutors argue that Trump actively sent his followers to Washington on Twitter on Jan. 6 to halt certification of the election result.
He called them several times to "fight" and initiated their march on the Capitol.
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The prosecution team presented testimony from those involved in the violent protests, who said they acted on Trump's orders.
A Trump supporter said in a video: "I did what he asked."
Prosecutor Diana DeGette said Trump's attorneys alleged the rioters acted of their own accord.
But that is not the case.
"They said they came because the President told them to."
The lead prosecutor, Jamie Raskin, also emphasized, "They did what he told them to do."
With tweets and video messages from Trump, the prosecutors also used tweets and video messages to trace how the then president reacted to the attack - how he praised his supporters that day and only half-heartedly asked them to withdraw, how he renewed allegations of election fraud and justified the escalation.
It was only the day after, in the face of mounting pressure, that he condemned the violence.
Prosecutors accused Trump of showing no remorse and of later calling his statements at the January 6 rally "perfectly appropriate."
They warned that the threat from fanatical Trump supporters persisted.
The team also argued that Trump has previously encouraged his supporters to use violence.
Video recordings of earlier statements by Trump were shown, in which, for example, he called for violence against troublemakers during an election campaign and promised that he would pay the legal fees if someone got into trouble because of it.
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Prosecutor Joe Neguse said the evidence was clear.
Trump incited his supporters to riot and must be sentenced and banned from future offices.
"If we leave that unanswered, who can say it won't happen again?"
After the prosecutors, it will be Trump's defense attorneys' turn to present their arguments on Friday.
They reject the allegations and consider the proceedings against the ex-president to be unconstitutional.
They also refer to the right to freedom of expression with a view to Trump's rally.
Neguse dismissed that and stressed that Trump was "not just any guy" who had given his opinion at a rally.
"He was the President of the United States."
CNN reported, citing unspecified sources, that Trump's lawyers only wanted one day for their presentation.
It is expected that the process will end this weekend or at the beginning of the coming week - probably with an acquittal for Trump.
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