The United
States Senate is expected to deliver its judgment in Donald Trump’s impeachment
trial this weekend after his lawyers wrapped up their defence on Friday,
arguing that the former president is not accountable for the January 6 storming
of the US Capitol by his supporters. It took just three hours for the defence
lawyers to get done with their presentation, wherein they accused the Democrats
of persecuting Trump, AFP reported.

This came
after the Democratic impeachment managers presented evidence over two days,
including harrowing video footage from the mob attack on the Capitol building,
where a Congressional session was underway to validate Joe Biden’s electoral victory.
 

The Senate is due to reconvene at 10:00 am (local
time) on Saturday to debate whether to allow testimony from witnesses and closing
arguments. A verdict could also be reached the same day, with early indications
suggesting the Democrats will not have enough support from the Republicans to
get a conviction.

In his
argument on Friday, defence lawyer Michael van der Veen termed Trump’s
impeachment unconstitutional and an “act of political vengeance”. “The Senate
should promptly and decisively vote to reject it,” he said.

Meanwhile, the
prosecution accused Trump of deliberately stoking national tensions after
losing the November 3 election with his false narrative of mass voter fraud. Prior
to the Capitol riots, he held a fiery rally near the White House, calling on
his supporters to march on the Congress.

The mob
then stormed the Capitol building and disrupted the certification of Biden’s victory,
resulting in the death of five people, including a police officer.

The impeachment
managers say that Trump, who has never expressed remorse for encouraging the
crowd, should never be allowed to hold office again.

A two-thirds
majority is required to convict Trump, meaning at least 17 Republicans need to
side with the 50 Democrat Senators. And despite Trump seemingly set for an
acquittal, even a few Republican votes against him will be historic, triggering
a civil war within the party over whether to pursue his populist, divisive
methods or return to more moderate values.

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Trump’s
lawyers argue that his speech prior to the attack on January 6, where he told supporters
to “fight”, was merely rhetorical, adding that the Democrats were just using
this opportunity to oust him from politics.

“Let us be
clear, this trial is about far more than president Trump,” defence lawyer Bruce
Castor said. “It is about cancelling 75 million Trump voters, and criminalising
political viewpoints. That is what this trial is really about.”

Seeking to turn the table on the Democrats’ powerful use of video evidence, defense lawyers played their own compilations showing Democratic lawmakers at different times using the word “fight.”

Democratic senators, along with Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were among those shown using the word in past speeches and on television.

“Please, stop the hypocrisy,” Trump’s lawyer David Schoen said.

The video footage at the heart of the impeachment managers’ case showed the crowd in the Capitol on January 6 hunting down opponents of Trump as senior figures, including then vice president Mike Pence, fled for safety.

Schoen mocked the video as “an entertainment package” and said Trump could not possibly be held responsible for the actions of the demonstrators.

But lead impeachment manager Jamie Raskin pointed out that the Republican leader had been encouraging extremism even in the lead-up to Election Day by constantly undermining public faith in the election process.

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“This pro-Trump insurrection did not spring out of thin air,” Raskin said. “This was not the first time Donald Trump had inflamed and incited a mob.”

He said it was imperative the Senate convict Trump and bar him from running for the White House again in 2024 or face the risk of the same kind of behavior being repeated.

“Would you bet the future of your democracy on that?”

Earlier, Biden told reporters at the White House that he was “anxious to see what my Republican friends do, if they stand up,” when it comes to the verdict.

There was little sign of an impending breakdown in the Trump firewall, but the verdict will make many in the party uncomfortable whichever way it goes.

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said evidence shown by House managers was “powerful,” but reporters spotted a draft statement from him on Friday that indicated he would be voting for acquittal.

Other Republican senators have clearly already made up their minds and do not intend to break with Trump, who has threatened to derail their careers should they back impeachment.

“The ‘Not Guilty’ vote is growing,” tweeted Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri told Fox News the trial was “totally illegitimate.”