Watch the Damning Capitol Riot Video Democrats Played During Trump’s Impeachment
February 9, 2021House Democrats kicked off former President Trump’s second impeachment trial with a damning video that they argued shows why he should never be president again.
The 13-minute mini documentary stitches together the most harrowing moments of the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol Building, during which five people died, alongside images of Trump urging the crowd to “fight like hell.”
The video plays out sequentially, starting with Trump’s “Save America” rally on the Ellipse behind the White House, then moving on to scenes of rioters battling cops and chanting “Fight for Trump!”—and senators speaking calmly inside the building, oblivious to what was happening outside.
It features nightmarish scenes of demonstrators clashing with police, and Trump telling them in a video he released, “Go home. We love you. You’re very special.”
Trump’s impeachment trial began Tuesday with the near-certainty that the Senate will acquit him, thanks to the two-thirds majority necessary for a conviction. The House of Representatives slapped Trump with a single article of impeachment in January for allegedly inciting the insurrection, making him the first president in history to be impeached twice.
Trump’s lawyers argue that he should be immune from going through an impeachment trial after his presidency ended. But Democrats say it’s important, as he would be he blocked from ever seeking office again if he is convicted.