WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — House prosecutors wrapped up their impeachment case against Donald Trump on Thursday, urging the Senate to convict the former president of inciting the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.
“We humbly, humbly ask you to convict President Trump for the crime for which he is overwhelmingly guilty,” said Representative Joe Neguse, one of the House impeachment managers.
“Because if you don’t, if we pretend this didn’t happen — or worse, if we let it go unanswered — who’s to say it won’t happen again?”
Trump’s lawyers will begin his defense at noon (1700 GMT) on Friday and will have 16 hours to present their case.
Representative Jamie Raskin, the lead House manager, appealed to the 100 Senators who are sitting as jurors in the case to exercise their “common sense” and convict Trump.
“Exercise your common sense about what just took place in our country,” Raskin said, reminding senators that they swore an oath to administer “impartial justice.”
During their two-day presentation, House impeachment managers used Trump’s own words and harrowing video of the January 6 attack on the Capitol to make the case that he incited his supporters to try to stop congressional certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s November 3 election victory.
The Democratic-majority House of Representatives impeached Trump on January 13 for inciting the attack, but a two-thirds majority is needed for conviction in the Senate.
Democrats hold 50 seats and there have been no indications that House prosecutors have managed to assemble the votes of 17 Republican senators needed for conviction.
© Agence France-Presse
