Capitol Rioters Thought They Were Following Trump's Order: Dems

WASHINGTON, DC — House Democrats continued Thursday to argue that former President Donald Trump directed rioters to storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, making the case during the third day of the second Trump impeachment trial.

“They truly believed that the whole intrusion was at the president’s orders,” Rep. Diana DeGette of Colorado said. “The president told them to be there.”

Rioters in videos, some posted by them to social media, talked about how they were doing it all for Trump.

“We were invited here,” said one. "Trump sent us,” said another. “He’ll be happy. We’re fighting for Trump.”

The House was expected to wrap up opening arguments later in the day.

Thursday's proceedings follow a day of testimony from senators who relived their experience on the day of the riot, and new video presented from the day of the attack.

Trump faces one count of incitement of insurrection in connection with the attack that left five people dead, including one U.S. Capitol Police officer.

Evidence presented Wednesday included a grainy Capitol surveillance video, never seen publicly before, that showed senators running to safety after they exited the Senate chamber and as police held rioters back down a main hallway on the first floor of the Capitol, according to reporting from The Associated Press.

Separate security videos showed Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer quickly turned around by police as they unknowingly headed toward unsafe locations, and Vice President Mike Pence rapidly evacuating the Senate chamber as insurrectionists outside chanted for his death.

Romney said he was brought to tears. The video was “overwhelmingly distressing and emotional,” he said afterward.

The House continued its case Thursday, with Trump’s lawyers to launch their defense by week's end. Democrats planned to use their remaining hours of arguments to lay out the physical and mental harm caused by the attack, discuss Trump’s lack of action as it unfolded, and make a final presentation on the legal issues involved, aides working on the impeachment team told the AP.

One of Trump’s lawyers, David Schoen, is calling the presentation by House impeachment managers “offensive.”

Schoen told reporters on Thursday that Democrats were “making a movie” and had yet to tie the Jan. 6 siege at the U.S. Capitol to the former president, the AP reported. He contended that the use of chilling video of the riot shown repeatedly by House Democrats during Wednesday’s arguments was impeding efforts to bring unity.

Trump has declined the opportunity to testify in his defense. His defense team is expected to begin their opening arguments Friday.

In order to convict Trump, 17 Republican senators would need to join all Democrats in voting for conviction. If the former president is convicted, a separate vote could bar him from holding public office again.

Trump is the first president to be impeached twice, and the first to face an impeachment trial after his presidency.

His first impeachment trial, in early 2020, resulted in an acquittal on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

Watch a livestream of Day Three of the Trump impeachment trial on the PBS NewsHour YouTube channel or in the video player above.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.