A tweet sent out by then-President Donald Trump on Jan. 6 asking the "great patriots" who had breached the U.S. Capitol to "go home with love & peace" proves Trump sided with the insurrectionists and validated their attack, Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., said Tuesday.
"Every time I read that tweet, it chills me to my core," Cicilline, an impeachment manager in the trial, told the Senate on the first day of the impeachment trial. "The president of the United States sided with the insurrectionists. He celebrated their cause. He validated their attack. He told them, 'Remember this day forever.'"
Trump was impeached by the House on Jan. 13 for "incitement of insurrection," allegedly provoking some of his supporters to storm the Capitol the week before.
Trump's attorneys argued the impeachment is unconstitutional. Senators now need to decide whether to convict the former president or acquit him of the impeachment charge.
Cicilline said Trump "sullied and dishonored to advance his own personal interests."
"As you think about that day, things could have been much worse," he said. "As one senator said, they could have killed all of us."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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