February 13, 2021

I didn't watch all of the impeachment trial proceedings as they occured, but I managed to watch some of them. I also watched CNN and OAN in the evenings to see what I missed of the proceedings, as well as watching the local news. It is possible that I missed something, but between the two news outlets and the local news it is not that likely. The following are my take-aways from the trial.

  • The prosecution proved that there was a riot. The evidence is irrefutable.
  • The prosecution admitted that the riot was planned in advance. That was obvious from the level of preparedness of the rioters .
  • The prosecution proved that it was a traumatic event for many of the members of congress. I saw one woman, I believe a Senator, was so traumatized she had to be supported while testifying that she was not in DC during the riot.
  • The defense proved that the language and verbiage used by then-President Trump in his speech, the words that they say incited the riot, are the same words and context used by many of the members in congress who were trying him for saying them. In fact, there was the added verbiage by President Trump left out by the prosectution - peaceful. He told the crowd to exercise their rights peacefully.
  • The prosecution asked that the Senators vote their conscience. I thought that they were supposed to vote as the evidence dictated.

There are many people who keep sying Mr. Trump is guilty and should suffer the consequences. Considering what I have seen and heard, I still cannot figure out what evidence those people base that belief on.