Trump’s newest lawyer Michael van der Veen during opening remarks said the impeachment trial is an “unjust and unconstitutional act of political vengeance.” He claims nobody could think that Trump’s speech incited violence. He plays the video of House Democrats, including Raskin, objecting to certification after Trump was elected. He says it is a “preposterous” and “monstrous lie” to claim that Trump wanted to incite violence.
Michael van der Veen called out Democrat rhetoric, saying under Democrat standards, many Democrats “should be retroactively censored, expelled, punished, or impeached”
Michael van der Veen contrasted President Trump’s repeated condemnation of violence with Democrat rhetoric with a video showing the violent rhetoric of the democrat party
Van der Veen said Trump used language that politicians have used for hundreds of years when they talk about “fighting for our principles.” He stated no human being believes the use of such “metaphorical terminology is an incitement to political violence”- there are numerous officials in D.C. have used “inflammatory language” in recent years, spending the last four years repeating that the 2016 was hacked and that Trump was a “Russian spy.” The Democrats are using “constitutional cancel culture” to prevent Trump from running for office again. “Now is not the time for a campaign of such retribution,” he says, adding that now is a time for “unity” and “healing.” He talks about cooling temperatures and calms passions.
Michael van der Veen argues Pres. Trump’s statements under scrutiny in the #impeachmenttrial are “ordinary political rhetoric.”
“No human being seriously believes that the use of such metaphorical terminology is incitement to political violence.” https://t.co/r7tOhMYO2U pic.twitter.com/Mu0Scn8S4u
— ABC News (@ABC) February 12, 2021
Trump’s second council David Schoen said the “hatred” the House Managers for Trump caused them to bypass due process. He says House leaders had contemplated holding the articles for 100 days to give Biden time to implement his agenda. He said Trump and his counsel were given no opportunity to review evidence and the rush to judgment was just one example of a “denial of due process.” He ripped House Managers for using press reports with anonymous sources against Trump.
Schoen said Trump was calling on primary challengers and not violence when he talked about “fighting” on January 6. He than played a video of Democrats talking about “fighting” repeatedly.
Van der Veen returned to talk about the First Amendment. He said the First Amendment applies and Trump’s speech deserves protection. He said this case is about “political hatred” and it is clear House Democrats “hate Donald Trump.” He says this kind of “political hate” has no place in the country’s institutions and political law. He says what we have heard and read is “devoid” of any Constitutional analysis. He says “hatred” is why House Managers want to blame Trump for the rioters based on “double hearsay.”
“The Constitution and the First Amendment must certainly apply to these impeachment proceedings and Mr. Trump’s speech deserves full protection under the First Amendment,” Trump’s defense attorney Michael van der Veen says. https://t.co/BY7pGN4vv8 #impeachmenttrial pic.twitter.com/cCsAVCRr8l
— ABC News (@ABC) February 12, 2021
Van der Veen said Trump told supporters to “peacefully” make their voices heard at the rally. He said House Managers have played “manipulated” parts of Trump’s speech and focus “heavily on the word ‘fight.’”
Trump lawyer Bruce L. Castor, finally spoke: main points being violent criminals started rallying near the Capitol an hour before Trump’s speech and started engaging in violence a mile away in their “pre-planned assault” while Trump was speaking. Castor went on by stating there is a “complete lack of evidence” that Trump incited the mob. He said Democrats don’t want Trump to run again, that this trial is about criminalizing political viewpoints and silencing the speech of people Democrats they disagree with. He said this is the only “existential issue” before the Senate. He said it asks for “constitutional cancel culture” to take over the Senate.
Castor said the Democrats promised to unify America and deliver more COVID relief but instead ” we are here”
