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Pelosi vows action on impeachment trial: 'We must do it'

Pelosi vows action on impeachment trial: 'We must do it'
we will be in the never a few days when I'll be talking with the managers as to when, Uh, the Senate will be ready for the trial of the then president of the United States for his role in instigating an insurrection on the house on the capital of the United States, on our democracy to undermine the the will of the people. Very clear. His has been on this path for a while, but that just that day he roused the troops. He urged them on to fight like hell. He sent them on their way to the capital. He called upon lawlessness. He showed a path to the capital and the lawlessness took place. A direct connection in one day.
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Updated: 2:38 PM CST Jan 21, 2021
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Pelosi vows action on impeachment trial: 'We must do it'
AP logo
Updated: 2:38 PM CST Jan 21, 2021
Editorial Standards 鈸�
House Democrats are pushing for a quick impeachment trial for former President Donald Trump over the riots at the Capitol, arguing a full reckoning is necessary before the country 鈥� and the Congress 鈥� can move on. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi could send the article charging the former president with 鈥渋ncitement of insurrection鈥� to the Senate as soon as Friday, setting up an immediate trial over the weekend or next week. Democrats say lawmakers can move quickly because they were all witnesses to the siege, many of them fleeing for safety as the rioters descended on the Capitol. 鈥淚t will be soon, I don鈥檛 think it will be long, but we must do it,鈥� Pelosi said Thursday. She said Trump doesn鈥檛 deserve a 鈥済et out of jail card鈥� in his historic second impeachment just because he has left office and President Joe Biden and others are calling for national unity. Pelosi said she will talk to her impeachment managers, the nine House prosecutors she selected to argue the case before the Senate jury, 鈥渋n the next few days鈥� about when the Senate might be ready for a trial.Trump told thousands of supporters to 鈥渇ight like hell鈥� against the election results that Congress was certifying on Jan. 6 just before an angry mob invaded the Capitol and interrupted the count. Five people, including a Capitol Police officer, died in the mayhem, and the House impeached the outgoing president a week later with 10 Republicans joining all Democrats in support. Pelosi said it would be 鈥渉armful to unity鈥� to forget that 鈥減eople died here on Jan. 6th, the attempt to undermine our election, to undermine our democracy, to dishonor our Constitution.鈥� Though Pelosi can trigger the trial by transmitting the article to the Senate 鈥� a process that in the past involved the impeachment managers walking the charges across the Capitol 鈥� the timing of the trial could also depend on discussions between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who are negotiating how to run the newly 50-50 Senate. Democrats are hoping to conduct the proceedings while also passing legislation that is a priority for Biden, including coronavirus relief, but they would need some cooperation from Senate Republicans to do that. Schumer told reporters Thursday that he was still negotiating with McConnell on how to conduct the trial, 鈥渂ut make no mistake about it. There will be a trial, there will be a vote, up or down or whether to convict the president.鈥� Another unknown as the trial nears is whether Trump will hire lawyers to represent him. After leaving office on Wednesday, he no longer has a White House counsel鈥檚 office at his disposal as he did during his first impeachment. Members of his past legal team have indicated they do not plan to join the effort this time around. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of Trump鈥檚 loyal GOP allies who has been helping him find representation, said Thursday that 鈥淚 think he鈥檚 going to get a legal team here pretty soon鈥� but did not offer details. Jason Miller, a Trump campaign aide who flew with Trump to Florida on Wednesday morning just before Biden was sworn in, said there will be a 鈥渢raditional defense operation that鈥檚 set up鈥� but also did not elaborate. Trump was acquitted by the Senate in February after his legal team aggressively fought the House charges that he had encouraged the president of Ukraine to investigate Biden in exchange for military aid. This time around, Pelosi noted, the House is not seeking to convict the president over private conversations but for a very public insurrection that they experienced themselves and that played out on live television.鈥淭his year the whole world bore witness to the president鈥檚 incitement,鈥� Pelosi said. Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, said it was still too early to know how long a trial would take, or if Democrats would want to call witnesses. But he said 鈥測ou don鈥檛 need to tell us what was going on with the mob scene, we were rushing down the staircase to escape.鈥� McConnell, who said this week that Trump 鈥減rovoked鈥� his supporters before the riot, has not said how he will vote. He told his GOP colleagues that it will be a vote of conscience. Democrats would need the support of at least 17 Republicans to convict Trump, a high bar. While a handful of Senate Republicans have indicated they are open to conviction, most have said they believe a trial will be divisive and questioned the legality of trying a president after he has left office. Graham said that if he were Trump鈥檚 lawyer, he would focus on that argument and also the merits of the case, whether it was 鈥渋ncitement鈥� under the law. He agreed with Pelosi that a trial should be quick. 鈥淚 guess the public record is your television screen,鈥� Graham said. 鈥淪o, I don鈥檛 see why this would take a long time.鈥� ___Associated Press writer Jill Colvin contributed to this report.

House Democrats are pushing for a quick impeachment trial for former President Donald Trump over the riots at the Capitol, arguing a full reckoning is necessary before the country 鈥� and the Congress 鈥� can move on.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi could send the article charging the former president with 鈥渋ncitement of insurrection鈥� to the Senate as soon as Friday, setting up an immediate trial over the weekend or next week. Democrats say lawmakers can move quickly because they were all witnesses to the siege, many of them fleeing for safety as the rioters descended on the Capitol.

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鈥淚t will be soon, I don鈥檛 think it will be long, but we must do it,鈥� Pelosi said Thursday. She said Trump doesn鈥檛 deserve a 鈥済et out of jail card鈥� in his historic second impeachment just because he has left office and President Joe Biden and others are calling for national unity.

Pelosi said she will talk to her impeachment managers, the nine House prosecutors she selected to argue the case before the Senate jury, 鈥渋n the next few days鈥� about when the Senate might be ready for a trial.

Trump told thousands of supporters to 鈥渇ight like hell鈥� against the election results that Congress was certifying on Jan. 6 just before an angry mob invaded the Capitol and interrupted the count. Five people, including a Capitol Police officer, died in the mayhem, and the House impeached the outgoing president a week later with 10 Republicans joining all Democrats in support.

Pelosi said it would be 鈥渉armful to unity鈥� to forget that 鈥減eople died here on Jan. 6th, the attempt to undermine our election, to undermine our democracy, to dishonor our Constitution.鈥�

Though Pelosi can trigger the trial by transmitting the article to the Senate 鈥� a process that in the past involved the impeachment managers walking the charges across the Capitol 鈥� the timing of the trial could also depend on discussions between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who are negotiating how to run the newly 50-50 Senate. Democrats are hoping to conduct the proceedings while also passing legislation that is a priority for Biden, including coronavirus relief, but they would need some cooperation from Senate Republicans to do that.

Schumer told reporters Thursday that he was still negotiating with McConnell on how to conduct the trial, 鈥渂ut make no mistake about it. There will be a trial, there will be a vote, up or down or whether to convict the president.鈥�

Another unknown as the trial nears is whether Trump will hire lawyers to represent him. After leaving office on Wednesday, he no longer has a White House counsel鈥檚 office at his disposal as he did during his first impeachment. Members of his past legal team have indicated they do not plan to join the effort this time around.

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of Trump鈥檚 loyal GOP allies who has been helping him find representation, said Thursday that 鈥淚 think he鈥檚 going to get a legal team here pretty soon鈥� but did not offer details. Jason Miller, a Trump campaign aide who flew with Trump to Florida on Wednesday morning just before Biden was sworn in, said there will be a 鈥渢raditional defense operation that鈥檚 set up鈥� but also did not elaborate.

Trump was acquitted by the Senate in February after his legal team aggressively fought the House charges that he had encouraged the president of Ukraine to investigate Biden in exchange for military aid. This time around, Pelosi noted, the House is not seeking to convict the president over private conversations but for a very public insurrection that they experienced themselves and that played out on live television.

鈥淭his year the whole world bore witness to the president鈥檚 incitement,鈥� Pelosi said.

Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, said it was still too early to know how long a trial would take, or if Democrats would want to call witnesses. But he said 鈥測ou don鈥檛 need to tell us what was going on with the mob scene, we were rushing down the staircase to escape.鈥�

McConnell, who said this week that Trump 鈥減rovoked鈥� his supporters before the riot, has not said how he will vote. He told his GOP colleagues that it will be a vote of conscience.

Democrats would need the support of at least 17 Republicans to convict Trump, a high bar. While a handful of Senate Republicans have indicated they are open to conviction, most have said they believe a trial will be divisive and questioned the legality of trying a president after he has left office.

Graham said that if he were Trump鈥檚 lawyer, he would focus on that argument and also the merits of the case, whether it was 鈥渋ncitement鈥� under the law. He agreed with Pelosi that a trial should be quick.

鈥淚 guess the public record is your television screen,鈥� Graham said. 鈥淪o, I don鈥檛 see why this would take a long time.鈥�

___

Associated Press writer Jill Colvin contributed to this report.