Dem Sen. Warns Trump Will Have ‘Bigger Voice’ To Peddle Lies About Election If He’s Acquitted

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., questions Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh as he testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool)
Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) questions Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh as he testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill on September 27, 2018. (Photo by Andrew Harnik - Pool/Getty Images)
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Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) on Tuesday morning sounded the alarm over the potential consequences of his GOP colleagues acquitting President Donald Trump in the impeachment trial over his incitement of a deadly insurrection at the Capitol.

Coons told MSNBC that an acquittal would give Trump “a bigger voice and a more disruptive voice to spread disinformation in our country about the legitimacy of the 2020 election,” which spurred an angry mob of the President’s supporters to lay siege to the Capitol building.

Asked if he was opposed to letting Trump speak at the trial, given the risk of giving the President a platform to amplify those falsehoods, Coons asserted that “[t]here is a right to be heard and to confront one’s accusers that’s fundamental to our legal system.”

“I would have to think about that,” the Democrat said. “My gut instinct would be of course to allow him to speak in his own defense.”

Watch Coons below:

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Notable Replies

  1. Chris Coons:

    “My gut instinct would be of course to allow him to speak in his own defense.”

    That’s almost suborning perjury.

  2. Would Trump be under oath? Would any witness?

  3. Does it work like an ordinary trial? Is he under oath and subject to cross-examination? If so it would be foolish to allow him to testify, but… I doubt that would stop him, and his attorneys’ advice would go unheeded.

    So sure, go ahead and let him speak.

  4. Avatar for dont dont says:

    What do you mean “almost”?

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