Former President Trump’s legal team tried to try Democrats on Friday by repeatedly playing clippings from their earlier rhetoric and accusing liberals of setting a new “dangerous double standard” regarding Trump.
Trump’s lawyers said the former president’s speech before the January 6 riot of the Capitol, in which he urged supporters to fight like hell, was in no way an incitement to violence, and they each called the House’s indictment managers and every Democratic senator to make similar statements. .
“Each and every one of you, and each and every one of you,” David Schoen, a Trump lawyer, roared at the end of an 11-minute video at the Democrats’ room with clips from each of them saying, “Fight.” .
“It’s good. You did nothing wrong. It’s a word people use, but please stop the hypocrisy.”
Attorney David Schoen speaks on Friday, Feb. 12, during Trump’s indictment.
Friday was Trump’s first chance to charge an indictment against “incitement to insurrection” allegations based on his actions and flaws surrounding the January 6 riot in the Capitol in which five people were killed, including a Capitol police officer .
DAY 3 SUMMARY: DEMOCRATIC FOLLOWERS FOLLOWERS USE THE RIOTERS WORDS AGAINST TRUMP IN THE TRIAL, REST THEIR CASE
Trump’s legal team exploded the proceedings as an unconstitutional, ‘sham accusation’ motivated by the Democrats’ ‘hatred’ of the former president. They said Trump’s political speech was protected by the first amendment.
His lawyers said it was ‘absurd’ to think Trump was trying to promote insurgency on January 6 based on his rhetoric that day and a long history of promoting ‘law and order’ and condemning violence in the crowd during its many other political rallies.
DAY 2 SUMMARY: DEMOCRATIC DISPOSAL MANAGERS SERVE MORE RIOT PHOTOS TO MAKE CASE ‘IN-CHIEF’ TRUMP
“No thinking person can seriously believe that the president’s speech on the January 6 ellipse was in any way an incitement to violence or insurgency,” said Michael van der Veen, a Trump lawyer. “The proposal appears to be absurd. Nothing in the text can ever be construed as encouraging, condemning or inciting illegal activities of any kind.”
Attorney Michael T. Van Der Veen speaks during Trump indictment hearing on Friday, February 12th.
Van der Veen added: “To claim that the president in any way wished, coveted or encouraged lawless or violent behavior is a ridiculous and monstrous lie.”
The defense team then played several lengthy video montages designed to embarrass the Democrats and proclaim a ‘double standard’. There was almost every prominent Democrat in the videos, including rep. Maxine Waters, D-California, who encouraged liberals to harass Trump officials, and President Biden said that if he went to high school again, he would go behind the gym and “knock the hell out” of Trump.
SUBMISSION DAY ONE SUMMARY: DEMS IN TRUMP TRIAL USE GRAPHIC VIDEO OF CAPITOL ATTACK
Schoen recorded one of the videos by telling the room, “We have to show you some of their own words.”
Video clips also include an indictment speech by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, and Vice President Kamala Harris, where she dropped the ‘Ellen’ talk show that if she’s in ‘ an elevator with Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions that one of us is not ‘coming out alive’.
Trump’s legal team has argued that Democrats can be charged under the new standard they are now trying to apply to Trump.
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“According to the standards of the article on the indictment of the House, each of these individuals should be censored, suspended, punished or charged with incitement to violence by their supporters,” Van der Veen said.
Democrats blew the legal team’s focus on them as a distraction from Trump’s own behavior.
“What they are clearly doing is trying to draw a false and dangerous equivalent of inviting Donald Trump and then inciting the mob and then failing in his oath of office to protect the Capitol,” Sen said. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Said Capitol Hill reporters Friday.
After Trump’s defense team concludes, senators will have the opportunity to ask questions on both sides of the advocates.