SAN ANTONIO — On the second day of former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, House managers presented a series of social media posts, news articles and television interviews as evidence in their case that Trump fanned unrest months before the Jan. 6 U. S. Capitol attack.
Democratic House impeachment managers showed Senate jurors never-before-seen video and emergency calls of the Capitol attack last month. Security cameras from inside the building revealed new vantage points of the mob.
In one video, Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman could be seen redirecting Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney, who was unknowingly going towards the mob. Goodman is seen running to help Romney get to safety.
Among the new footage was also a viral moment from south Texas. Delegate Stacey Plaskett, of the Virgin Islands, presented an incident that occurred on Oct. 30, 2020, when a Biden/Harris campaign bus driving on Interstate 35 near San Marcos was suddenly surrounded by a caravan of Trump supporters.
Plaskett said Trump supporters tried to run the bus off the road. The next day, Trump responded with a tweet reading, “I LOVE TEXAS!” and including video of the incident with upbeat music playing in the background.
House managers used that evidence, among others, while arguing that Trump provoked his supporters months before the deadly Capitol assault. They said his actions and messages convinced them that the election was rigged.
One of those impeachment managers, U.S. Congressman Joaquin Castro, who represents San Antonio, underscored the same argument.
“It’s no fun to lose. I'm a Texas Democrat; we've lost a few elections over the years," Castro said. "But can you imagine telling your supporters that the only way you could possibly lose is if an American election was rigged and stolen from you? His words became their actions. His commands led to their actions.”
Castro asserted that Trump bears full responsibility for inciting the riot, and reminded Senate jurors how the attack revealed a darker undercurrent.
“Senators, all of us know and all of us understand how dangerous that is for our country because the most combustible thing you can do in a democracy is convince people that an election doesn't count," he said. "That their voice and their vote don't count."
In order to convict Trump, Castro and the other eight impeachment managers would need to convince 17 Republicans in the Democrat-leaning Senate to join them.