Lawyers for former US President Donald Trump opened his impeachment defense Friday by denying he played any role in inciting the deadly riot at the US Capitol and blasting the case against him as politically motivated "hatred" and part of a Democratic "witch hunt."
The lawyers argued that Trump was entitled to dispute the 2020 election results and that his doing so, including in a speech that preceded the assault on the Capitol, did not amount to inciting the violence that followed.
"This is ordinarily political rhetoric that is virtually indistinguishable from the language that has been used by people across the political spectrum for hundreds of years," said Michael van der Veen, one of Trump's lawyers, according to The Associated Press. "Countless politicians have spoken of fighting for our principles."
Van der Veen said the Capitol siege was carried out by people who had "hijacked" for their own purposes what was supposed to be a peaceful event and had made plans for violence before Trump had even spoken.
"You can't incite what was going to happen," he added.
Earlier this week, the Democrats showed never-before-seen video footage of the rioters. The prosecutors' goal was to cast Trump not as a bystander but rather as the "inciter in chief" who spread election falsehoods, then encouraged supporters to come challenge the results in Washington.
The US House of Representatives impeached Trump last month for "inciting insurrection” which led to the January 6 storming of the US Capitol, marking the second time he has been impeached by the House.
(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)