Former President Trump “endangered the life of every single Member of Congress, jeopardized the peaceful transition of power and line of succession, and compromised our national security,” the House argued in an impeachment brief filed Tuesday morning that sets the stage for next week’s Senate trial.
The House brought the charge of insurrection against Trump last month, a week after he riled up a violent mob that stormed the Capitol and disrupted Congress’ certification of President Joe Biden’s win. The brief connected Trump’s encouragement of the riot that day to the other ways he attempted to reverse his election losses as his legal challenges failed in court.
“His actions directly threatened the very foundation on which all other political debates and disagreements unfold,” the House said. “They also threatened the constitutional system that protects the fundamental freedoms we cherish.”
The brief warned that if Congress were to allow “Presidents to subvert elections without consequence” it “would encourage the most dangerous of abuses.”
“A President who violently attacks the democratic process has no right to participate in it,” the House said. “Only after President Trump is held to account for his actions can the Nation move forward with unity of purpose and commitment to the Constitution.”
This is the second time Trump has faced an impeachment trial. The House impeached him for his Ukraine pressure campaign, which sought to turn up dirt on Biden in 2019. The Senate declined to convict him in that proceeding, and it currently appears highly unlikely that a conviction — which requires a two-thirds vote in the Senate — will happen in this impeachment.
Read the House’s new brief below:
