Sen. Chris Coons, while saying he would have to "weigh" whether former President Donald Trump should be allowed to speak during his upcoming impeachment trial, conceded Tuesday that he'd be inclined to allow the testimony because of fundamental rights guaranteed under the nation's legal system.
"My gut instinct would be, of course, to allow him to speak in his own defense," the Delaware Democrat said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "I haven't thought about that and I would have to weigh it."
But there is a right, "that's fundamental to our legal system" to "be heard and to confront one's accusers," said Coons.
"An impeachment trial is a unique sort of thing, because think, about it, all of us are both witnesses and jurors in this instance," said Coons.
His comment came after he was asked about the possibility that Trump could appear and "turn this into a spectacle" and that he would be "continuing to spread disinformation."
"I am concerned that Republican colleagues of mine are inclined to acquit him and that the consequences of his acquittal and his then having a bigger voice and a more disruptive voice to spread disinformation in our country about the legitimacy of the 2020 election," said Coons. "I think we need to find a way to deliver accountability. My hope is as we are sworn in today to serve as if we were jurors, as the deciding body in an impeachment trial, that my Republican colleagues will reflect on the gravity of what happened here just a few weeks ago."
Meanwhile, Coons said it's important to push forward with Trump's second impeachment, even though he's no longer in office, because there is new evidence coming about his actions all the time and because of the severity of the attacks.
He added that while the riot was happening, Trump not only didn't stop his supporters but he "made no effort to check on the safety of his own vice president or the leaders of Congress ... I don't think this is a hard case to make."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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