“Trump left everyone in the Capitol for dead” as mob hunted for victims like VP Pence
The impeachment managers drew a straight line from Trump to the insurrection and harm’s way for Mike Pence.
The march to the Capitol seemed spontaneous but had incitement and planning in a variety of forms. Surveillance recordings showed how close the potential assassinations were.
Senator Mike Lee said “Everyone makes mistakes; everyone is entitled to a mulligan”, somehow forgetting that Trump already has been impeached once.
Polls have a majority of Americans supporting impeachment.
Many of those in the mob had their sights on Pence — enraged that he had refused President Trump’s demand that he head off the electoral college count that formalized President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
During the impeachment trial on Wednesday, Democrats demonstrated a powerful point: President Donald Trump knew Vice President Mike Pence was in danger during the January 6 assault on the Capitol and, rather than call off the murderous mob, Trump chose to attack Pence in a tweet and further incite the marauders against his own veep.
During his speech before the riot, Trump let it be known that he was counting on Pence to stop the electoral vote count scheduled for that day. But Pence released a statement that he would not do so, and the rioters at the Capitol cast Pence as an enemy. Pence and his family were rushed to a hiding place, as rioters inside the building searched for him. “Hang Pence,” some yelled.
In his presentation, Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), one of the House managers prosecuting the impeachment case, outlined a damning chronology. He noted the insurrectionists had turned on Pence by 2:15 p.m. that day and that their attempt to find Pence in the Capitol was being reported on television—which Trump was undoubtedly watching. But instead of urging his supporters to end the assault and protecting his vice president, Trump at 2:24 p.m. tweeted an attack on Pence. “Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution.” While his veep was fearing for his life, Trump put him in even greater jeopardy.
The message was received. Castro showed a video of one rioter reading Trump’s tweet to the crowd using a bullhorn.
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) February 11, 2021
Secret Service officers eventually spirited Pence to a room off the Senate floor with his wife and daughter after rioters began to pour into the Capitol, many loudly denouncing the vice president as a traitor as they marched through the first floor below the Senate chamber.
Pence and his family had just ducked into a hideaway less than 100 feet from that landing, according to three people familiar with his whereabouts, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. If the pro-Trump mob had arrived seconds earlier, the attackers would have been in eyesight of the vice president as he was rushed across a reception hall into the office.
— Fernando Espuelas (@EspuelasVox) February 11, 2021
— Ashley Parker (@AshleyRParker) February 10, 2021
— Brian Beutler (@brianbeutler) February 11, 2021
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) February 10, 2021
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) February 11, 2021
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) February 11, 2021
The source told CNN the new video was “undeniably powerful.” When asked if Trump has any remorse, the source laughed and said that to Trump there's no greater offense than saying “sorry.”
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) February 10, 2021
GOP senators signal they plan to acquit Trump, including #KidHitler.
— Shimon Prokupecz (@ShimonPro) February 11, 2021
— Allan Piper (@apiper13) January 13, 2021
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