Impeachment managers played a 13-minute long video of the riotous events that unfolded on Jan. 6.
Details: The video captures scenes of a Trump-flag carrying mob wrestling with armored Capitol Police officers. The video also showed scenes of the insurgents forcibly entering the Capitol juxtaposed with the Senate calling for recess as they are warned "protesters are in the building."
- Screams of "Let's take the Capitol" and "Fight for Trump," rang out from the crowd of thousands approaching and then breaching the Capitol.
- One lone crowd participant who was seemingly directing people towards the Capitol yelled. "We are going to the Capitol where are problems are. It's that direction."
Why it matters: Though the outcome of the trial is already known, the vivid and disturbing images played to the room of silent Senators were meant to show the horrors of that day to the senate jurors, and to the American public.
- All members silent and looking at monitors on respective sides of chamber as video played.
- Sen. Ted Cruz watched his own desk being rifled through, screams of a Capitol police officer being crushed in door echoed through chamber, and the sequence of individual clips turned into video narrative of day.
Bottom line: Lead impeachment manager Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) told the Senators that former President Trump was being impeached for the things depicted in the video. "You asked what a high crime and misdemeanor is under our Constitution? That's a high crime and misdemeanor. If that's not an impeachable offense, then there is no such thing," Raskin said.
