Trump’s impeachment defence team is so bad it’s like performance art – 16 stinging takedowns
The second impeachment trial of Donald Trump has begun, seeing the former president accused of incitement of insurrection, relating to the rioting at the Capitol Building on the 6th of January.
I love the smell of impeachment trials in the morning
— Jeff Tiedrich (@itsJeffTiedrich) February 9, 2021
Trump has refused to attend …
The only time Trump refuses to speak is under oath.
— Windsor Mann (@WindsorMann) February 4, 2021
And if ordered to appear, wants presidential perks.
BREAKING: President Trump requests use of Airforce One if forced to appear in Congress. "If they want to impeach me as President they'll have to let me travel as President."
— PAULUS V (@PAULUSV3) February 9, 2021
Jamie Raskin, the lead impeachment manager of the team of nine presenting the case against Trump, opened with a harrowing thirteen-minute video of footage of the riot, combined with clips of Trump’s words on the day, both spoken and tweeted.
2016: Trump is president whats the worst that could happen?
2021: Trump's impeachment video directed by Quentin Tarantino
— Matt Oswalt (@MattOswaltVA) February 9, 2021
Having failed to get the trial thrown out on the grounds of being unconstitutional, it was left to defence lawyers, Bruce Castor Jr and David Schoen to outline their arguments.
Here’s are a few snippets, to give you a sense of it.
what … what is going on pic.twitter.com/XAgv9ZNzJZ
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 9, 2021
As Aaron Rupar asked …what is going on?
so, uh, Trump's impeachment trial strategy appears to be to just have folks go out there and wing it like it's an open mic night or something pic.twitter.com/FkF1xI6pHo
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 9, 2021
Bruce Castor is making Rudy Giuliani look like Cicero
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 9, 2021
"They want to put you through a 16 hour presentation, over two days, focusing on this as if it were some side of blood sport … this is a process fueled irresponsibly by base hatred" — David Schoen is angry pic.twitter.com/ZfGps6bIUz
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 9, 2021
We’re none the wiser. If you want to know how good an impression the lawyers made, check out these reactions from Twitter.
1.
Bruce Castor's opening statement for the defense is like watching a student trying to bluff their way through an oral book report on a book they haven't read.#DefendingTheIndefensible
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) February 9, 2021
2.
Trump's lawyers are literally arguing that Trump was impeached too quickly and also not quickly enough.
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) February 9, 2021
3.
Trump's lawyer just said that if Trump is convicted for doing what he didn't do, he'll do it again, and worse.
— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) February 9, 2021
4.
An extremely great sign is that in his very first moment speaking, Trump's defense attorney just slipped and called himself Trump's prosecutor.
— Bess Kalb (@bessbell) February 9, 2021
5.
This speech is like if you took the opening lines from all the papers of a classroom of freshman poli sci majors, and just read them one after the other.
— Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) February 9, 2021
6.
Watching Trump’s lawyer on @CNN . We’ve gone through head-scratching, beyond jaw-dropping and are now at the ‘WHAT IS YOUR POINT??’ stage in the proceedings
— Rebecca Front 💙 (@RebeccaFront) February 9, 2021