The second impeachment trial of Donald Trump opened Tuesday heading toward what seemed a preordained conclusion. But as the day revealed, the events that led to this moment — Trump’s efforts to overturn an election and his role in inciting a mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol — will have left an indelible mark on his presidency and on the history of the country, no matter the trial’s outcome.
The first day had been set aside for what some anticipated might be a dry constitutional argument over whether the Senate had the authority to conduct a trial for a president who no longer is in office. That debate did provide the backdrop, but the horrors of Jan. 6 became the emotional centerpiece and highlight of the day — and, no doubt, the days to come.
House managers, led by Rep. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Md.), presented a powerful opening argument — asserting with historical documentation and contemporary legal analysis that the Senate must go ahead with the trial, lest it create a “January exception” to impeachment that could allow future presidents to rampage at will in their final days in office without fear of being held accountable. Continue reading.