Home » News » The ‘prosecutors’ Democrats make their final arguments: President Trump broke the law, covered it up and will do it again

The ‘prosecutors’ Democrats make their final arguments: President Trump broke the law, covered it up and will do it again

By María Peña

WASHINGTON.— The team of ‘prosecutors’ Democrats took advantage of their third and final day of arguments this Friday to detail how the president Donald Trump It is a serious danger for the country because it violated the law, covered it up and will violate it again in this year’s elections, and deserves removal.

Representatives of the Lower House made detailed presentations, using videos, slides, photos, written testimonies and legal and constitutional arguments to show how Trump abused his power and “public trust” for his benefit, and then obstructed Congress’s investigation. about his dealings with Ukraine to cover up his violations of the law.

In addition, the representatives urged the Republican senators to “do their duty” and see beyond the interests of their party.

Video: What do the senators who act as jury of the Trump political trial think? We ask

In charge of closing his arguments, the Democratic legislator for California and chief ‘prosecutor’ of the case, Adam SchiffHe said Trump has put his interests above those of the country.

“The result has been and will continue to be a serious damage to our nation if this camera does not get up and claims that this is wrong“, he emphasized.

“I ask you, I implore you: give the United States a fair trial. It deserves it,” said Schiff, an experienced California prosecutor.

On the closing day, one of the most striking moments occurred when Schiff mentioned a report from the CBS network about Trump’s legal team threats against Republican senators voting to dismiss him.

According to CBS, a Trump confidant said Republican senators have been warned: “vote against the president and their heads will end in a pica.”

Immediately there was a clear murmur of protests from several Republican senators, including Susan Collins, who vigorously responded with a “not true.” The rules of the trial prohibit expressions of any kind from the jury.

Even if it was a language in a figurative sense, it is most likely that the Administration will continue to press to expedite the conclusion of the trial, to focus the energies on the electoral contest.

Over the course of three days, the strategy of the seven prosecutors of the House of Representatives was to detail the charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, also relying on Trump’s own words, public testimony of members of his Administration, and documents disclosed last year.

They also tried to persuade the Republican bench, which controls the Senate, to bring more witnesses and documents to the political trial against Trump, known in English as impeachment.

The Democratic strategy: build an argument in favor of dismissal

In the last two days, prosecutors outlined Trump’s alleged pressure campaign in 2019 for Ukraine to announce an investigation against the former vice president, Joe biden, his possible rival in the presidential race next November.

According to the Democrats, Trump conditioned about $ 400 million in military aid to Ukraine (a small country that is at war with Russia) and a state visit to the White House, in exchange for the president of that country, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, announce the investigation, with the idea of ​​smearing the image of Biden.

Minute by minute coverage: Last day for ‘prosecutors’ Democrats to present their argument against Trump

Trump’s defense is that he wanted that investigation to end corruption, and he was worried about the waste of US taxpayers’ money in Ukraine.

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But people close to the matter, such as the ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondlandthey said under oath that Trump “He didn’t care about corruption … he only cared about big things”, and I just wanted a research announcement, not really done.

During Friday, prosecutors’ goal has been to detail Trump’s alleged efforts to cover up that pressure campaign, how he withheld military aid to Ukraine, and how covered up this by refusing to hand over documents or forbidding members of his Administration to testify under oath in Congress.

For Democrats, Trump pressured Ukraine to seek his personal benefit and to “cheat” in the 2020 elections, not for the interest of the United States or for his alleged concern about corruption in that country.

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Video: ‘Prosecutors’ of the political trial focus on the charge of obstruction to Congress

According to Schiff, how Trump handled relations with Ukraine only proves that his policy is “put Trump first, not the United States first

Worse, Schiff added, the president continues to seek foreign interference in this year’s elections, putting the foundations of democracy in this country at risk.

The delay in the delivery of the aid had a great impact, “just ask the Ukrainians who are now in the trenches,” he said. Jason Crow, Democratic representative for Colorado and member of the prosecution.

For its part, Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic legislator for New York, said the second charge is “worrisome” and it follows that Trump “tried to cheat, got caught, and then fought hard to cover it up.”

LIVE: Fourth day of political trial. The ‘prosecutors’ conclude their accusations against President Trump

Jeffries referred to the call on July 25 in which Trump told Zelenskiy that he would give him the money for military armament if he did the “favor” of announcing the investigation against Biden.

Democrats argue that if Republicans are tired of “hearing the same thing” on a daily basis it is because they do not want to admit new evidence. Republicans reply that if the opposition really had a “solid case,” it would not need more witnesses.

The third day of Democratic arguments coincided with the dissemination of a recording -reported first by the chain ABC News– in which Trump is allegedly heard asking Lev Parnas, A partner of his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, “take out of the way” the then US ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovich

Parnas told Trump that the diplomat criticized him and almost assumed that the president would be subjected to political trial. Yovanovich was removed from office in May 2019.

Parnas’s lawyer, Joseph Bondy, told the press that he delivered this recording to the lower house for investigation against the president, according to CNN.

What is the next step?

On Saturday it is the turn of the Trump defense team, and one of his personal lawyers, Jay SekulowHe said they will only use three hours to outline the strategy of their case, as if it were the trailer of a movie, he explained.

“Next week is when they will see the full presentation,” Sekulow said.

Under the rules approved in the early hours of last Wednesday, both sides will have a total of 24 hours to present their arguments.

Next week, they will have 16 hours of questions for both sides, and then the Senate will vote on whether or not there will be additional witnesses.

In that sense, the Democratic senator for Maryland, Chris Van Hollen, told Telemundo News that he will continue to press for the inclusion of more witnesses, because in no trial the defendant, in this case Trump, “dictates the regulations” of the process.

One of his amendments, precisely to achieve that goal, was defeated last Tuesday.

The goal of the Republicans is to have a final vote to dismiss or exonerate Trump no later than Friday.

“They know what Trump did”

During each short break, both parties look to the press to convey their respective messages: Republicans claim that the political trial is a “farce.” Meanwhile, the Democrats, among these two senators consulted today by Telemundo News, reply that “nobody is above the law.”

“They know what this president did, the question is what they will do about it,” said the Democratic senator from Minnesota and presidential candidate, Amy Klobuchar.

For her part, the Democratic Senator for California and former presidential precandidate, Kamala HarrisHe said Trump was involved in “incredible misconduct” by Ask for foreign interference in the elections. He added that senators have a constitutional obligation to exercise “impartial justice,” regardless of their loyalty to the party.

Meanwhile, Republican senators like Lindsey Graham Y John Barrasso, they kept a united front by insisting that Trump is innocent and that, in any case, it is the voters who will decide their political future at the polls.

In contrast to his well-known partisan attacks, Graham did praise the “exhaustive”, “professional and eloquent” presentation of the Democrats, but recalled that we need to listen to the other side “and then we will decide.”

Judging by this, the Democrats apparently have not been able to sow doubt among Republicans.

But, in statements to the press, Texas Democratic lawmaker Sylvia Garcia – the only Hispanic among prosecutors – said her team has presented a “strong case,” and said she is satisfied that Republicans are at least listening to them.

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Start the political trial against Trump in the Senate, what’s next in the process?

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