President Joe Biden is suggesting “some minds may be changed” on whether former President Donald Trump should be convicted after House impeachment managers showed video footage of rioters storming the U.S. Capitol.
A reporter asked Biden if he saw the video during the trial on Wednesday and what his reaction was.
The president stressed his goal is to focus on the “promises” he made on jobs and infrastructure.
“I, like other Americans, watched the news. I didn’t watch any of the hearing live… I watched some this morning. I think the Senate has a very important job to complete and my guess is some minds may have been changed, but I don’t know,” Biden said on Thursday.
Watch his remarks below:
President Biden on #ImpeachmentTrial: "My guess is some minds may have been changed, but I don't know." pic.twitter.com/FSEZcVsKXN
— CSPAN (@cspan) February 11, 2021
Impeachment managers showed security footage on Wednesday of rioters storming the halls of the U.S. Capitol, as IJR reported.
Rep. Jaime Raskin (D-Md.), the lead impeachment manager, accused Trump of inciting the violence and also enjoying it.
“This case is much worse than someone who falsely shouts fire in a crowded theater,” he said. “It’s more like a case where the town fire chief, who’s paid to put out fires, sends a mob not to yell fire in a crowded theater, but to actually set the theater on fire.”
Raskin continued, “And who then when the fire alarms go off, and the calls start flooding into the fire department asking for help does nothing but sit back, encourage the mob to continue its rampage, and watch the fire spread on TV with glee and delight.”
It is seemingly unlikely Trump will be convicted as it requires 67 votes. This means 17 out of 50 Republicans need to side with Democrats.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) reportedly indicated to his Republican colleagues a vote convict Trump is a conscience one, as IJR reported.
