- Aides told President Trump not to personally show up to defend himself during Wednesday’s indictment in the House of Representatives, reports The New York Times.
- Trump has been isolated since the riots at the U.S. Capitol last week, left by allies, cut off by the business world and deprived of his Twitter account.
- On Wednesday, lawmakers voted 232-197 to accuse Trump, with 10 Republicans supporting the move.
- Instead, Trump released a video after the accusation in which he condemned the violence more strongly than before.
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President Donald Trump has been asked to appear in person at the House of Representatives to defend himself before his second indictment, reports The New York Times.
Assistants are said to have convinced the president that it would be a bad idea to present a defense during Wednesday’s vote.
In December 2019, when he was first charged, reports suggested he also wanted to defend in person, but was talked about.
In Wednesday’s vote, Trump was indicted at 232-197 on a single charge of ‘incitement to rebellion’ during the riot at the US Capitol on Wednesday. Ten Republicans sided with the Democrats on the ballot.
After being kicked off Twitter after the attack on the Capitol, Trump is without his favorite platform to intervene and try to shape events.
The president in his last term is an isolated figure, abandoned by allies in politics and business, and turns to closest aide Rudy Giuliani, his personal lawyer, in a dispute over legal bills.
Read more: ‘It was humiliating’: Black Capitol conservationists talk about how it felt to clean up the mess left by violent white supremacists.
After the vote, Trump released a video in which he expressed no personal regrets about the violence that left five people dead. However, he condemned it more strongly than before.
“Violence and vandalism have no place in our country … No true supporter of mine will ever endorse political violence,” Trump said.
Trump’s White House lawyer Pat Cipollone has reportedly been warned of legal consequences for the riot, where supporters looted the Capitol after Trump was told during a rally to “fight like hell” election results.
Trump’s accusation will now be referred to the Senate, where a trial will be held after returning from recession on January 19, and it will extend until the start of the election of President Joe Biden.