Impeachment manager raskin trial#

And if we buy this radical argument that President Trump’s lawyers advance, we risk allowing January 6th to become our future. In other words, the January exception is an invitation to our founder’s worst nightmare. It’s an invitation to the President to take his best shot at anything he may want to do on his way out the door, including using violent means to lock that door, to hang onto the Oval Office at all costs, and to block the peaceful transfer of power. A January exception.Īnd everyone can see immediately why this is so dangerous. This would create a brand new January exception to the Constitution of the United States of America. In other words, conduct that would be a high crime and misdemeanor in your first year as president and your second year as president and your third year as president and for the vast majority of your fourth year as president, you can suddenly do in your last few weeks in office without facing any constitutional accountability at all. Their argument is that if you commit an impeachable offense in your last few weeks in office, you do it with constitutional impunity.

Impeachment manager raskin trial#

They want to call the trial over before any evidence is even introduced. President Trump has sent his lawyers here today to try to stop the Senate from hearing the facts of this case. You will not be hearing extended lectures from me because our case is based on cold, hard facts. Auden’s line that a professor is someone who speaks while other people are sleeping. Thank you.īecause I’ve been a professor of constitutional law for three decades, I know there are a lot of people who are dreading endless lectures about the Federalist Papers here. President, we will indeed reserve time for rebuttal. It’s my honor to represent people of Maryland’s 8th congressional district in the House, and also to serve as the lead House manager.

President, distinguished members of the Senate.