Impeachment manager plays video montage of Trump's lies in closing argument
From CNN's Josiah Ryan
Impeachment manager Rep. Madeleine Dean began her closing argument this afternoon by playing a video montage of former President Trump repeating the false claim that the election had been rigged.
"Donald Trump invited them, he incited them, then he directed them," she said of the mob that attacked the US Capitol before playing the video.
Dean then played the video which included Trump lying repeatedly.
"There won't be a transfer, frankly," Trump said. "There will be a continuation."
"The only way we're going to lose is if there's mischief, mischief and it will have to be on a big scale," he said. "So, be careful."
Watch:
1:54 p.m. ET, February 13, 2021
Impeachment managers have resumed their closing arguments after a brief pause
Impeachment managers have resumed their closing arguments.
Moments ago, Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, interrupted impeachment managers' closing arguments, pausing the trial.
Lee seemed to be objecting to a timeline about a call he had with former President Trump on Jan. 6 as the Capitol riot was underway.
1:49 p.m. ET, February 13, 2021
Managers pause closing arguments after GOP senator's interruption
Closing arguments are on hold after Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, interrupted the proceedings.
Lee seemed to be objecting to a timeline about a call he had with former President Trump on Jan. 6 as the Capitol riot was underway.
Here's what to expect in the closing arguments from Trump's defense team
From CNN's Pamela Brown
It’s anticipated that former President Trump's defense team will have a quick closing statement.
It is expected to be about 30 minutes give or take.
They will deliver a quick summary of main points.
They may address the phone call between House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Trump, but are still working it out, according to a person with knowledge of ongoing discussions.
1:48 p.m. ET, February 13, 2021
House impeachment manager says Trump "must be convicted"
From CNN's Adrienne Vogt
Senate TV
“It’s now clear beyond doubt that Trump supported the actions of the mob” on Jan. 6, lead impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin said in his closing arguments. “And so he must be convicted. It's that simple.”
Raskin said that the former president sided with those who stormed the Capitol and failed to protect lawmakers, including his Vice President.
His “dereliction of duty … was central to his incitement of insurrection, and inextricable from it,” Raskin said.
The revelation of the former President’s call with House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy “confirm that Trump was doing nothing to help the people in this room or this building,” Raskin said.
“President Trump must be convicted for the safety and security of our democracy and our people,” Raskin added in his last statement.
Watch:
1:19 p.m. ET, February 13, 2021
Senator who Trump called on Jan. 6 hands over his phone records to impeachment managers
From CNN's Lauren Fox and Manu Raju
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) heads to the Senate Chamber before the fifth day of the Senate Impeachment trials on Saturday, February 13, 2021. Greg Nash/Pool/Getty Images
Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, could be seen handing over various phone records to House impeachment managers.
CNN previously reported that former President Trump first called the personal cell phone of Lee shortly after 2 p.m. ET on Jan. 6. At that time, the senators had been evacuated from the Senate floor and were in a temporary holding room, as a pro-Trump mob began breaching the Capitol.
Lee picked up the phone and Trump identified himself, and it became clear he was looking for Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a Republican from Alabama, and had been given the wrong number. Lee, keeping the President on hold, went to find his colleague and handed Tuberville his phone, telling him the President was on the line and had been trying to reach him.
Tuberville spoke with Trump for less than 10 minutes, with the President trying to convince him to make additional objections to the Electoral College vote in a futile effort to block Congress' certification of then President-elect Joe Biden's win, according to a source familiar with the call. The call was cut off because senators were asked to move to a secure location. Tubervillle has said he told Trump Pence was being evacuated.
Lee said the call when Trump called happened at 2:26 p.m. ET on Jan. 6. This is two minutes after President Trump's tweet attacking Vice President Mike Pence.
House managers maintained that the call happened before the tweet.
1:16 p.m. ET, February 13, 2021
Read the full statement that was just entered into the record at the impeachment trial
Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) arrives to a House GOP caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on February 3, 2021 in Washington, DC. Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Moments ago, House impeachment manager Jamie Raskin read a statement from a House Republican describing a phone call between former President Trump and House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy on the day of the riot.
After the Senate voted to allow witnesses at the impeachment trial, Senate leaders, the House managers and Trump’s legal team instead agreed to insert the statement of GOP Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler from a CNN report into the trial record, rather than taking a deposition.
"In my January 12 statement in support of the article of impeachment, I referenced a conversation House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy relayed to me that he’d had with President Trump while the January 6 attack was ongoing. Here are the details:
“When McCarthy finally reached the president on January 6 and asked him to publicly and forcefully call off the riot, the president initially repeated the falsehood that it was antifa that had breached the Capitol. McCarthy refuted that and told the president that these were Trump supporters. That’s when, according to McCarthy, the president said: ‘Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are.’
“Since I publicly announced my decision to vote for impeachment, I have shared these details in countless conversations with constituents and colleagues, and multiple times through the media and other public forums.
“I told it to the Daily News of Longview on January 17. I’ve shared it with local county Republican executive board members, as well as other constituents who ask me to explain my vote. I shared it with thousands of residents on my telephone town hall on February 8.
“To the patriots who were standing next to the former president as these conversations were happening, or even to the former vice president: if you have something to add here, now would be the time.”
Watch:
1:12 p.m. ET, February 13, 2021
House impeachment managers are delivering their closing arguments
Senate TV
House impeachment managers are now making their closing arguments.
It follows a day of surprise and confusion after a motion to seek witnesses passed.
The Senate then went into a break to discuss how to move forward.
They ultimately agreed to enter a statement from Rep. Herrera Beutler – describing a phone call between former President Trump and House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy – into the record instead of calling her as a witness.
1:04 p.m. ET, February 13, 2021
Senators settle on admitting a witness statement into Trump's trial record instead of calling witnesses
House managers and Trump's defense team agreed to enter a statement from Rep. Herrera Beutler describing a phone call between former President Trump and House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy into the record.
House impeachment managers had asked the Senate this morning to call witnesses in former President Trump's second impeachment trial. Instead, Senate and trial lawyers instead agreed hours later to insert the statement into the trial record, moving the trial toward a final vote later Saturday.
Lead impeachment manager Jamie Raskin read the statement from Herrera Beutler of Washington state into the trial record when the Senate resumed session on Saturday, admitting the statement into the trial evidence. The managers and Trump’s team then moved onto closing arguments without making any more calls for witnesses.
More on this: Herrera Beutler revealed details about an expletive-laced phone conversation between McCarthy and Trump on Jan. 6 as the Capitol riot was underway. In the call Trump is reported to have said the rioters cared more about the election results than McCarthy did.
