Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) called Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial – set to start on Tuesday – an open-and-shut case against the ex-president.
During an interview with MSNBC‘s Chris Hayes, Rep. Jackson Lee laid out Trump’s long line of actions that demonstrated his lack of respect for democracy and the rule of law, particularly when it came to accepting the results of the 2020 election.
“He predicted that he might not allow a peaceful transfer of power,” the Democratic lawmaker said. “He never admitted that he adhered to the law and order of this nation, and he was right.”
“He clearly became an insurrectionist president,” she added.
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Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) calls Trump an “insurrectionist president” who has never respected American democracy. pic.twitter.com/e3x3dm5kB5
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) February 9, 2021
Rep. Jackson Lee said:
I have seen now four impeachment proceedings, including one of a judge. And it was evident as the election proceeded in 2016 that this campaign and this president and this person, Donald J. Trump, had an irreverence … for democracy, for order, for aw and order, for respect, for dignity and he carried that through the campaign right into the United States presidency. That was evidenced by his reckless engagement with Russia, his inviting the Russian ambassador, if you will, to the White House, by leaking classified information, by getting into fights with people of different racial backgrounds, by insulting African American women, Congressional Black Caucus members, as well as other members of Congress. He was just irreverent and he clearly was someone that was not Lincoln-esque, he was not a respecter of democracy and it continued as evidenced by his actions with Ukraine and his blatant discussion with the president of Ukraine of what you can do for me. That led, of course, to his prediction. He predicted that he might not allow a peaceful transfer of power. He was asked several times during the campaign and he was glib but he is never precise, he never admitted that he adhered to the law and order of this nation, and he was right. And he proceeded for months after November to talk about, the election was stolen. He clearly became an insurrectionist president.
Trump is clearly guilty of inciting the Jan. 6 attack
Given how broken the modern Republican Party is, getting enough Senate votes to convict Donald Trump will likely be an uphill climb for the impeachment managers.
But that doesn’t mean the case against Trump isn’t strong. In fact, Trump’s guilt is clear, even if the GOP refuses to acknowledge it with their votes.
For months, Trump constructed a dangerous lie about the election being stolen from him, all because he was and is emotionally incapable of accepting defeat. This lie stirred up his supporters for weeks, until they finally showed up in D.C. and fought back, as the ex-president instructed.
Had Donald Trump simply acknowledged – like an adult – that he lost the election and conceded gracefully to Joe Biden, the events of Jan. 6 would have never happened, and those who died in the attack would still be alive.
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Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
