Prosecutors claim that Donald Trump incited a riot when he addressed supporters on January 6
Credit: REUTERS
Donald Trump could run for president in 2024 and unleash a violent mob on the US Capitol once more unless he is convicted, Democrat prosecutors at his impeachment trial claimed.
Prosecutors said Mr Trump had shown "no remorse" for inciting a mob to attack the seat of US democracy on Jan 6 and would "do it again" if given the chance.
They said it could be "only just the beginning" of political violence in America and the "threat was not over". His supporters had been following the "orders of their commander-in-chief," they said.
On the third day of the trial Jamie Raskin, the lead prosecutor, said: "Is there any political leader in this room who believes that if he is ever allowed to get back in the Oval Office, Donald Trump would stop inciting violence?
"Would you bet the lives of more police officers on that, the safety of your family on that, the future of your democracy on that? He gets back into office, and it happens again, we’ll have no one to blame but ourselves."
Lead prosecutor Jamie Raskin
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Ted Lieu, another prosecutor, added: "I’m not afraid of Donald Trump running again in four years, I’m afraid of him running and losing, because he would do it again. He will not stop. He has not shown remorse, he has shown defiance."
If Mr Trump is convicted on a charge of inciting insurrection he would not be able to run for public office in the future.
As the prosecution closed its case, which was praised by Democrat and Republican senators as professional and emotive, Joe Biden broke his silence.
The president said: "My guess is some [Republican] minds may be changed."
Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, later said Mr Biden had not been offering a "projection or a prediction" on the verdict.
She said: "He was giving a very human and emotional response to what many people felt having watched the video. He was shocked and saddened. [But] he knows there’s a role for Congress to play and a role for him to play."
Prosecutors outlined how Mr Trump had encouraged violence for years at his rallies, showing videos of him exhorting supporters to "beat the crap" out of protesters.
They played videos of senior Republican officials around the country, and former Trump administration officials, calling his actions "existential" and "wrong".
Mr Raskin detailed how Mr Trump cultivated "dangerous extremist groups" for months then "lit the fuse" and "electrified" them on Jan 6.
His followers acted in "perfect alignment " with his intentions, and "did what he told them to do". He added: "This pro-Trump insurrection did not spring into life out of thin air."
Mr Trump’s "MO" had been "road-tested" during the invasion of the Michigan state Capitol in April last year. Jan 6 was a "culmination not an aberration" for Mr Trump.
Prosecutors showed how Mr Trump had urged his followers to "liberate" Michigan, and targeted the Democrat governor Gretchen Whitmer, who was then targeted in a kidnap and potential assassination plot.
Mr Raskin said: "If we don’t draw the line here what’s next? What makes you think the nightmare of Donald Trump and his violent mob is over?"
Prosecutors used video from Jan 6 to show how the Capitol invaders believed they were acting on Mr Trump’s "orders".
Insurrectionists were shown shouting "We were invited here" and "Trump sent us". Another said: "He’ll be happy. We’re fighting for Trump."
Prosecutor Diana DeGette said: "They truly believed that the whole intrusion was at the president’s orders. The president told them to be there."
The prosecution argued that Mr Trump had been trying to make himself a monarch.
David Cicilline, a prosecutor, said: "This didn’t even happen during the Civil War. But it did just happen because of the cold, calculated and conspiratorial acts of our former president Donald J. Trump.
"The insurrectionists were deliberate, they came looking for Vice President Pence and Speaker Pelosi and ready to kill.
"When President Trump incited a lawless mob to attack our process, he was attacking our democracy. He was trying to become king and rule over us against the will of the people and the valid results of the election. What if he had been successful? His crime cannot and will not stand."
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