Democrats viewed the Senate’s indictment of former President Donald Trump as a major victory despite his acquittal.
“It was a dramatic success in historical terms,” Chief Prosecutor Jamie Raskin, D-Md., Told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “It was the biggest conviction vote in American history.”
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“It was by far the most ambiguous majority ever convened in the Senate to condemn a president, which has traditionally been a kind of biased case in American history,” Raskin continued. “We got seven Republicans, and if you look at the ten Republicans in the House who joined us, it was by far the most dual decision and a complete rejection of the president’s behavior.”
In this image from the video, Minaat McConnell speaks of the Senate, Ky. Minority leader, after the Senate acquitted former President Donald Trump in his second indictment in the Senate at the US Capitol in Washington, Saturday, February 13, 2021. (Senate Television via AP)
((Senate television via AP))
Raskin and his fellow Democratic accusation leaders provoked harsh left-wing and right-wing criticism on Saturday after turning their backs on whether to call witnesses in the Trump Senate hearing.
Critics said the Democrats “agreed” because they issued a press release from Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Wash., Read in the report after initially asking to put her down – a step that could potentially bring in many more witnesses and prolong the trial. per week.
“We are going to continue to do that,” Raskin said. “Then the Republicans decided that the evidence could be included in the record. You asked about other people who might have stood up and lied there. We do not know what Kevin McCarthy would have said.”
“We could have had 1,000 witnesses, but that would not be the kind of silly argument people like McConnell and [Sen. Shelley Moore] Capito hung up their hats, ‘he continued.
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Raskin’s co-accusation manager of the House, Democratic delegate Stacey Plaskett of the US Virgin Islands, reflected his sentiment during an appearance in CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“Just so that the American public is aware of it, witnesses in a Senate hearing do not appear before the senators and make no statements. It is a precipitation. It was recorded on video and it is brought before the Senate,” he said. Plaskett said. “So I know people feel very anxious and believe that if we had had it, the senators would have done what we wanted, but listen, we did not need more witnesses, we needed more senators with backbone.”
Plaskett, a former Republican, accused Trump of trying to “kill” former Vice President Mike Pence.
“We knew they were hostile witnesses. They are not going to testify,” she said. “Has anyone heard of Vice President Pence? The man tried to kill him and he still has not come forward.”
In this image from a video, a security video is shown in which Vice President Mike Pence is evacuated while rioters violate the Capitol, while State Manager Del. Stacey Plaskett, D Virgin Islands, speaks during the second trial of former President Donald Trump in the Senate. at the American Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, February 10, 2021. (Senate television via AP)
Plaskett also told CNN’s Jake Tapper that she was aware that Republican senators may have withdrawn their “guilty” votes if witnesses were called and the trial extended.
“I have heard from a Democratic senator that there is a message that if you do not fold, you will lose your senators, like Richard Burr of North Carolina,” Tapper said.
“We heard it,” Plaskett replied.
“Was it part of the decision making?” Ask Tapper.
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“No, I think we wanted to get in what we wanted, and we did,” Plaskett said. “We believed we had proved the case. We proved the elements of an article of indictment. It is clear that these persons were hardened, that they did not want to allow the president to be convicted or disqualified. They are afraid for his base. They are afraid of losing power, of losing their seats. “
Fox News’ Tyler Olson contributed to this report.