Prosecutors at Donald Trump's Senate impeachment trial have laid out a strong case against the former president, showing previously undisclosed and chilling security camera footage of the mayhem that erupted at the US Capitol last month after a pro-Trump mob smashed their way into the building and posed a threat to the lawmakers.
The Capitol building was stormed on January 6 after thousands of supporters of Trump gathered in support of false claims that widespread fraud denied him victory in last November's presidential election.
Five people died, including a Capitol police officer, as the mob breached the building where the November 3 election result was being certified.
The US Senate began the impeachment trial of Trump, a Republican, on Wednesday with impeachment managers from the Democratic Party-controlled House of Representatives making a strong case against the former president accusing him of inciting the insurrection.
Raskin said the evidence will show that Trump was no innocent bystander. The evidence will show that he clearly incited the January 6 insurrection. It will show that Trump surrendered his role as the Commander-in-Chief and became the "inciter in chief" of a dangerous insurrection.
This was, as one of our colleagues put it so cogently on January 6 itself, the greatest betrayal of the presidential oath in the history of the United States. The evidence will show you that he saw it coming and was not remotely surprised by the violence, he said.
Raskin said Trump completely abdicated his duty as the Commander-in-Chief to stop the violence and protect the government and protect the police officers and protect the people.
"They're throwing metal poles at us," one officer was heard as saying.
At one point, Plaskett emphasised, the mob got dangerously close to Pence and his family.
"As the rioters reached the top of the stairs, they were within 100 feet of where the vice president was sheltering with his family," she said. "They were just feet away from one of the doors to this chamber, where many of you remained at that time," addressing the senators in the room directly.
She pointed to footage of the mob erecting a gallows complete with a noose outside the Capitol, along with continued chants of "Hang Mike Pence."
Indian-American Democratic Party lawmakers have supported the impeachment of former president Donald Trump for inciting his supporters for the January 6 Capitol Hill riots.
The US Senate on Tuesday confirmed the constitutionality of Trump's impeachment trial by 56-44 votes following presentation from both sides — House impeachment managers and lawyers representing the former president — paving the way for the historic impeachment trial of the 45th President of the United States who left office on January 20.
"The president incited the crowd that attacked our Capitol and our democratic institutions last month and the necessity of his conviction is as clear today as it was the day he caused United States Representatives, Senators, and their staff to flee for their lives and pray for their safety, Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said.
"Vote to convict," Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal said.
Krishnamoorthi had voted in favour of impeaching Trump in the House of Representatives, so did the three other Indian-American lawmakers — Ami Bera, Ro Khanna and Pramila Jayapal.
Trump's lawyers have said that the impeachment trial is unconstitutional. The provisions do not apply to Trump, "since he is no longer ''President,'' his lawyers say.
