The defense team of former US President Donald Trump sought to clear him of incitement to revolt during the proceedings of the ongoing trial in the Senate, and they said that his impeachment was "political revenge" by the Democrats.
On the fourth day of the trial, the lawyers began presenting their case, which is expected to last only a few hours rather than fulfilling their full 16-hour time limit.
Al-Jazeera correspondent Bisan Abu Kwik from Congress said that the defense team seems to be seeking a quick end to the trial by heading to the vote on the verdict, as it believes that Trump's acquittal is guaranteed due to the lack of sufficient votes to convict him in the Republican camp.
To convict Trump would require at least 17 Republicans to vote along with the 50 Democrats on the 100-member House.
The argument for freedom of expression
On Friday, the defense team said that Trump's speech is protected by guaranteeing the right to freedom of expression guaranteed by the US Constitution, and that the prosecution team did not directly link Trump to the actions of rioters when they stormed Congress on January 6 during the validation session on Joe’s victory. Biden in the presidential election.
"The impeachment before the Senate is a grossly unfair and unconstitutional measure and an act of political retaliation," said Michael van der Vein, attorney on Trump's defense team, in his opening argument.
The Democrat prosecution team completed its case presentation Thursday, saying that Trump was aware of the outcome of the matter when he urged his supporters that day to head to the Congress building and "fight hard."
Biden is watching
On the other hand, the White House said Friday that President Joe Biden had witnessed parts of the trial and believed that the Senate should bear its responsibility.
White House spokeswoman Jane Sackey said the powerful scenes of the storming events that were shown during the trial are a reminder that what happened should never be repeated.
At the same time, Sacchi confirmed that the president is not making any calls on this matter and does not ask any senator to vote in a specific direction.