The back half of 16 hours of arguments from the House impeachment managers is set to kick off on Thursday at noon, as the Senate plows full steam ahead in its unprecedented trial of a former president.
The big picture: Donald Trump is unlikely to be convicted on the House's single charge of "incitement of insurrection," as only a handful of Republicans have signaled their intention to vote against the party's most popular figure. But the House managers' presentation of chilling, never-before-seen security footage from the Jan. 6 Capitol assault may make that vote more difficult.
Daily recaps
Feb. 9, day 1: Senate votes trial is constitutional
- Lead impeachment manager Jamie Raskin cited prominent conservative legal scholars and the framers of the Constitution to argue that there is no "January exception" to convicting an ex-president who committed impeachable offenses while in office. He concluded the Democrats' arguments with an emotional appeal as he detailed his family's experience at the Capitol during the insurrection.
- Trump lawyer Bruce Castor praised the Democrats' presentation before launching into a meandering rebuttal that reportedly infuriated Trump. Lawyer David Schoen's presentation was more focused and intense, accusing Democrats of denying Trump of his due process rights and seeking to block a political rival from running again for partisan purposes.
- Just six Republicans voted that the trial was constitutional — one more than the last time the Senate vote on whether to dismiss the case. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) called Trump's legal team "disorganized" and said that "as an impartial juror, I’m going to vote for the side that did the good job."
Feb. 10, day 2: House managers air unseen riot footage
- One by one, managers showed speeches, tweets and interviews detailing how Trump laid the groundwork for his supporters to believe "the big lie" — that the election would be stolen — for months leading up to the attack.
- Shocking new videos showed just how close rioters came to lawmakers, and how many of them explicitly said they were at the Capitol because Trump told them to be there. Footage showed officer Eugene Goodman, who on Jan. 6 successfully steered a mob away from lawmakers, warning Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) to flee the area moments before rioters appeared.
Watch:
- Jamie Raskin's emotional appeal on the opening day of the trial
- Managers show 13-minute graphic video of riot violence at start of trial
- New Capitol footage shows officer Eugene Goodman saving Romney from mob
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