IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES Sitting as a Court of Impeachment
In re IMPEACHMENT OF PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP
TRIAL MEMORANDUM OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES IN THE IMPEACHMENT TRIAL OF PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP
United States House of Representatives Jamie Raskin Diana DeGette David Cicilline Joaquin Castro Eric Swalwell Ted Lieu Stacey Plaskett Madeleine Dean Joe Neguse
U.S. House of Representatives Managers
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INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................ 1
STATEMENT
OF
FACTS ............................................................................................................................... 5
A.
President Trump Refuses to Accept the Results of the 2020 Election ................................ 5
B.
President Trump Encourages His Followers to Come to Washington on January 6, 2021 and “Fight” to Overturn the Election Results ............................................................. 12
C.
Vice President Pence Refuses to Overturn the Election Results ....................................... 18
D.
President Trump Incites Insurrectionists to Attack the Capitol ........................................ 20
E.
Insurrectionists Incited by President Trump Attack the Capitol ....................................... 22
F.
President Trump’s Dereliction of Duty During the Attack ................................................ 29
G.
The House Approves An Article of Impeachment with Bipartisan Support ................... 34
ARGUMENT ................................................................................................................................................... 36
I.
P
RESIDENT
T
RUMP
C
OMMITTED
H
IGH
C
RIMES AND
M
ISDEMEANORS
.......................................... 36
A.
President Trump Violated His Oath of Office ..................................................................... 37
B. President Trump Attacked the Democratic Process ............................................................ 38
C.
President Trump Imperiled Congress .................................................................................... 39
D.
President Trump Undermined National Security ................................................................. 40
II.
T
HERE
I
S
N
O
D
EFENSE
F
OR
P
RESIDENT
T
RUMP
’
S
C
ONDUCT
........................................................ 42
A.
Fair Impeachment Process ....................................................................................................... 42
B.
Criminality ................................................................................................................................... 43
C.
Election Results .......................................................................................................................... 44
D.
Free Speech ................................................................................................................................. 45
III.
T
HE
S
ENATE
H
AS
J
URISDICTION
T
O
T
RY
T
HIS
I
MPEACHMENT
...................................................... 48
A.
Former Officials in England and the Early American States Were Subject to Impeachment and Disqualification for Abuses Committed in Office .............................. 50
B.
The Framers Adhered to the Tradition That Former Officials Were Subject to Impeachment, Conviction, and Disqualification for Misconduct in Office ..................... 53
1.
The Constitutional Convention ................................................................................. 55
2.
Constitutional Text and Structure ............................................................................. 59
C.
Congressional Precedent Supports Jurisdiction over President Trump ............................ 71
CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................................... 75