Whitehouse Statement on Conclusion of Impeachment Presentations

Statement

U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement tonight upon conclusion of House managers and defense counsels' presentations in the second impeachment of former president Donald Trump:

"The House managers presented a disciplined, vivid, and damning case that followed the arc of Trump's months-long recruitment and incitement of his mob. They brought to life again the fear, violence, and bravery in the halls of the Capitol that day, and presented new details about the danger to the Vice President and others, which Trump knew about -- and did nothing. I am proud of Rhode Island's David Cicilline and all the House managers for exemplary work. Whether they win before a partisan Senate or not, they can claim victory before the public, before history, and in their consciences.

"The Trump defense presentation deserves little mention, and the more you knew the less it merited. I was not the audience; it was talking points for right-wing news outlets, for the Trump base, and for the Audience of One.

"As this trial nears its end, I fear my Republican colleagues will again abase themselves before Trump rather than decide on the evidence. But that evidence is now established in our record, and history will remember their verdict."

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