Lawyers for Donald Trump on Monday blasted the impeachment case against him as an act of “political theater” and accused House Democrats on the eve of the former president's trial of exploiting the chaos and trauma of last month’s Capitol riot for their party's gain.

Trump lawyers blast impeachment trial as 'political theater. WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawyers for Donald Trump on Monday blasted the impeachment case against him as an act of “political theater” and accused House Democrats on the eve of the former president's trial of exploiting the chaos and trauma of last month’s Capitol riot for their party's gain. (1 of 7) Rioters loyal to President Donald Trump storm the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Arguments begin Tuesday, Feb. 9, in the impeachment trial of Donald Trump on allegations that he incited the violent mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. 2 of 7) The Republican side, right, in the House chamber is seen as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Vice President Mike Pence officiate as a joint session of the House and Senate convenes to count the Electoral College votes cast in November's election, at the Capitol in Washington. Arguments begin Tuesday, Feb. 9, in the impeachment trial of Donald Trump on allegations that he incited the violent mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. (3 of 7) Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., arrives for a Republican policy luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021. (4 of 7) Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., leaves the chamber after taking an oath and voting on how to proceed on the impeachment against former President Donald Trump, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021. (5 of 7) Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. speaks during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on the nomination of Miguel Cardona to be education secretary on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021, in Washington. (Anna Moneymaker/The New York Times via AP, Pool) (6 of 7) A list of whom the House has impeached and the outcomes of those impeachments. (AP Grap (7 of 7) People shelter in the House gallery as rioters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol. Arguments begin Tuesday, Feb. 9, in the impeachment trial of Donald Trump on allegations that he incited the violent mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.. February 08, 2021 Trump's legal brief is a wide-ranging attack on the House case, foreshadowing the claims his lawyers intend to present on the same Senate floor that was invaded by rioters on Jan. 6. The sharp-tongued tone, with accusations that Democrats are making “patently absurd" arguments and trying to “silence a political opponent,” makes clear that Trump's lawyers are preparing to challenge both the constitutionality of the trial and any suggestion that he was to blame for the insurrection. “While never willing to allow a ‘good crisis’ to go to waste, the Democratic leadership is incapable of understanding that not everything can always be blamed on their political adversaries, no matter how very badly they may wish to exploit any moment of uncertainty on the part of the American people," the defense lawyers say. In their brief, they suggest that Trump was simply exercising his First Amendment rights when he disputed the election results and argue that he explicitly encouraged his supporters to have a peaceful protest and therefore cannot be responsible for the actions of the rioters. They also say the Senate is not entitled to try Trump now that he has left office, an argument contested by even some conservative legal scholars, and they deny that the goal of the Democrats' case is justice. “Instead, this was only ever a selfish attempt by Democratic leadership in the House to prey upon the feelings of horror and confusion that fell upon all Americans across the entire political spectrum upon seeing the destruction at the Capitol on Jan. 6 by a few hundred people,” the lawyers wrote. House impeachment managers filed their own document Monday, asserting that Trump had “betrayed the American people” and that there is no valid excuse or defense. “His incitement of insurrection against the United States government — which disrupted the peaceful transfer of power — is the most grievous constitutional crime ever committed by a president," the Democrats said. The trial will begin Tuesday with a debate and vote on whether it's even constitutional to prosecute the former president, an argument that could resonate with Republicans keen on voting to acquit Trump without being seen as condoning his behavior. Opening arguments would begin Wednesday at noon, with up to 16 hours per side for presentations. Under a draft agreement between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, the proceedings will break Friday evening for the Jewish Sabbath at the request of Trump's defense team and resume on Sunday. There will likely be no witnesses, and the former president has declined a request to testify. This impeachment trial will be different because of COVID-19 restrictions. Rather than sitting at their desks through the trial, senators may be spread out, including in the “marble room” just off the Senate floor, where proceedings will be shown on TV, and in the public galleries above the chamber, to accommodate social distancing, according to a person familiar with the discussions. Trump's second impeachment trial is opening with a sense of urgency — by Democrats who want to hold him accountable for the violent Capitol siege and Republicans who want it over as quickly as possible. The proceedings are expected to diverge from the lengthy, complicated trial that resulted in Trump's acquittal a year ago on charges that he privately pressured Ukraine to dig up dirt on a Democratic rival, Joe Biden, now the president. This time, Trump's rally cry to “fight like hell” and the storming of the Capitol played out for the world to see. Trump very well could be acquitted again, and the trial could be over in half the time. Biden will be busy with the business of the presidency and won't spend “too much time watching,” press secretary Jen Psaki said when asked on Monday. Trump is the first president to be twice impeached, and the only one to face trial after leaving the White House. The Democratic-led House approved a sole charge, “incitement of insurrection,” acting swiftly one week after the riot, the most violent attack on Congress in more than 200 years. Five people died, including a woman shot by police inside the building and a police officer who died of injuries the next day. So far, it appears there will be few witnesses called, as the prosecutors and defense attorneys speak directly to senators who have been sworn to deliver “impartial justice” as jurors. Most are also witnesses to the siege, having fled for safety that day as the rioters broke into the Capitol and temporarily halted the electoral count certifying Biden's victory. Instead, House managers prosecuting the case are expected to rely on videos from the siege, along with Trump's incendiary rhetoric refusing to concede the election, to make their case. His new defense team has said it plans to counter with its own cache of videos of Democratic politicians making fiery speeches. “We have the unusual circumstance where on the very first day of the trial, when those managers walk on the floor of the Senate, there will already be over 100 witnesses present,” Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who led Trump's first impeachment, said on NBC's “Meet the Press.” "Whether you need additional witnesses will be a strategic call.” Democrats argue it’s all about holding the former president accountable for his actions, even though he’s out of office. For Republicans, the trial will test their political loyalty to Trump and his enduring grip on the GOP. Initially repulsed by the graphic images of the siege, Republican senators including Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell denounced the violence and pointed fingers of blame at Trump. But in recent weeks they have rallied around Trump, arguing his comments do not make him responsible for the violence and questioning the legitimacy of trying someone no longer in office. Senators were sworn in as jurors late last month, shortly after Biden was inaugurated, but the trial proceedings were delayed as Democrats focused on confirming the new president's initial Cabinet picks and Republicans sought to put as much distance as possible from the bloody riot. At the time, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky forced a vote to set aside the trial as unconstitutional because Trump is no longer in office, drawing 44 other Republicans to his argument. The 45 votes in favor of Paul's measure suggest the near impossibility of reaching a conviction in a Senate where Democrats hold 50 seats but a two-thirds vote — or 67 senators — would be needed to convict Trump. Only five Republicans joined with Democrats to reject Paul’s motion: Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. ------------------AP FACT CHECK: Trump sees voting chaos that does not Exist. Experts opined that US Poor & US Middle Class from all Races vote for Joe Biden,while Rich from All Races for Trump,but Joe Biden with Democrats/US Moderates must prevent Trump with his Republican Hardliners & Trump/Putin US Coordinators from blocking or frustrating Voters from Voting. WASHINGTON (AP) — Seeing chaos where others don't, President Donald Trump is falsely asserting that voting by mail is proving to be rife with problems across the country. For the most part, the surge in early votes has been managed smoothly. (1 of 3) Debra Hubbard jumps after voting on the first day of early voting inside the Vote Center at Staples Center sports and entertainment arena in Los Angeles. Tens of millions of Americans already cast ballots in the 2020 election amid record-breaking early voting during the coronavirus pandemic. But for some voters in a handful of states, casting an early ballot in-person isn't even an option. (2 of 3) Voters wait in line to enter the Pip Moyer Recreation Center, in Annapolis, Md., on the first day of in-person early voting in the state. Tens of millions of Americans already cast ballots in the 2020 election amid record-breaking early voting during the coronavirus pandemic. But for some voters in a handful of states, casting an early ballot in-person isn't even an option. (3 of 3) Voters cast ballots at Boston City Hall during early in-person voting, in Boston. Tens of millions of Americans already cast ballots in the 2020 election amid record-breaking early voting during the coronavirus pandemic. But for some voters in a handful of states, casting an early ballot in-person isn't even an option. October 27, 2020 Trump also made the impossible demand that all votes be counted election night. That is guaranteed not to happen. Some states will be counting mailed votes for days and many may not have final results that night. It’s all part of Trump’s effort to sow distrust in the integrity of the election if he loses. He introduced a new twist in his case Tuesday, encouraging people who have already cast ballots for Democrat Joe Biden to change their vote to him. Some states allow people who voted early to change their ballot if they show up Election Day and nullify their initial vote; many do not. TRUMP: “Big problems and discrepancies with Mail In Ballots all over the USA. Must have final total on November 3rd." — tweet Monday. THE FACTS: No, the catastrophe Trump has warned darkly about for months in mail-in voting has not materialized. There have been sporadic reports of voters receiving mail ballots that were incorrectly formatted and other localized hitches in the record early turnout, but the large-scale disenfranchisement that election experts worried might happen has not been seen. Trump has conspiratorially inflated local incidents, contending, for example, that mail-in ballots filled out for him are being dumped in rivers or creeks. This is a fabrication. Three trays of mail were found by the side of a road and in a ditch — not a river or creek — in Greenville, Wisconsin, in mid-September. The sheriff initially said “several absentee ballots” were in the mix. The state's elections officer later said no Wisconsin ballots were in the lost mail after all. No one said ballots marked for Trump were thrown out in the incident. Trump’s motive for challenging votes by mail is plain: Democrats are dominating that segment of voting. Registered Democrats have also outnumbered registered Republicans in early voting in person at polling places, though the gap is narrower than with mailed ballots. In short, Trump may need supporters to show up in huge numbers on Election Day if not before, and his baseless allegations of early-voting irregularities are designed to motivate them to do so as well as to portray the result as illegitimate if Biden wins. As for his demand for a “final vote total” on election night, that flies in the face of how votes are counted and reported. Apart from the usual lags in rounding up and reporting totals from every precinct in the country, the U.S. is seeing unprecedented numbers of early votes, and some battleground states won't even start counting them until Election Day votes have been tallied. Indeed, the Supreme Court is allowing Pennsylvania to count mailed ballots that are not even received by elections officials for three days after the election, as long as there's no evidence that such ballots were filled out after Nov. 3. The court quashed an effort in Wisconsin to extend the absentee ballot deadline there. Earlier in the campaign, Trump asserted that the winner should be declared on election night, another outcome no one can guarantee and one that may elude the country in a week. There is no requirement that the winner be determined Election Day. He raised the question of delaying the election, then dropped it, but has persisted in groundless allegations that it is certain to be plagued by fraud. TRUMP “Strongly Trending (Google) since immediately after the second debate is CAN I CHANGE MY VOTE? This refers changing it to me. The answer in most states is YES. Go do it. Most important Election of your life!” — tweet Tuesday. THE FACTS: Not so fast. Some states allow voters to switch their early vote, but laws vary and many have restrictions. Minnesota, for instance, allows voters to “claw back” their vote and change it, but the deadline for that has passed. Wisconsin allows people to change their vote up to three times, though it doesn’t happen often. Florida allows voters who received mail ballots to choose to vote in person instead, but they cannot vote more than once. If a voter has already sent his or her mail-in ballot and then goes to vote in person, “the (mail) ballot is deemed cast and the voter to have voted,” according to Florida law. David Becker of the Center for Election Innovation said changing a vote in states where that is possible is “extremely rare” and very complicated. “It’s hard enough to get people to vote once — it’s highly unlikely anybody will go through this process twice,” he said. -------------------------------- Experts opined that US Poor & US Middle Class from all Races vote for Joe Biden,while Rich from All Races for Trump,but Joe Biden with Democrats/US Moderates must prevent Trump with his Republican Hardliners & Trump/Putin US Coordinators from blocking or frustrating Voters from Voting. I,Mazilieralworks,Primarily to inform,theorize,Caution,Dialogue,Expose or to educate All People & not to engage or to join issues with any Gullible,Misinformed,Ignorant or Bankrupt Cronies or Hired Sycophants on any Mazilieralworks Issue or literal Article. Gratefully to late US President George Bush for his Successes,on his 13 years as CIA Boss,greatly straightened the US & Western Economically/Globally in 1970s during his Active Service,when the US had past Economic Problems & on his Assistance to Nigeria 1977,with his Vast Experiences. xxxxxxxxxxxxxx View my articles on these websites: http://maziliteralworks.wordpress.com http://maziliteralworks.blogspot.com https://medium.com/me/stories/public http://disqus.com/home/channel/mazipatrick/ https://maziliteralworks.tumblr.com https://twitter.com/Maziliteraworks Regards, Mazi Patrick O. email: akwaba2000@gmail.com Thinker, Writer, Political Strategist, Historian & Psychoanalyst.... As to publish our literal work,pls you/your company can assist us with anything