Democratic Rep. Speier, Asked if She Will Testify at Trump Trial, Says Americans Should Hear ‘How Close We Came to Losing Our Democracy’

Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA) previewed the Trump impeachment trial on Monday and said Americans need to understand better how dire the situation was.

The second impeachment trial of Donald Trump is set to officially begin on Tuesday, and both the House impeachment managers and the former president’s defense team have already laid out what they intend to argue.

Andrea Mitchell spoke with Speier and recalled how the congresswoman was at the center of another horrific event many years ago — the Jonestown shooting. She asked Speier if living through the Capitol riots brought back memories of it.

“I was in the gallery, and it was frightening to experience that pounding on the doors,” Speier said. “We had to get gas masks out. I was shaking as I was tearing open the pouch. Then we had to control under the railings to get to the other side.”

She described hearing a gunshot and said she was worried about losing her life.

Mitchell asked if she’s going to be part of the witness testimonies that will be presented at the trial.

Speier said she intends to “put into words that every American can hear for decades to come how close we came to losing our democracy.”

She brought up the former president’s incendiary rhetoric the day of the riots.

“This is a man that intended to overtake this government. And it’s astonishing to me that so few of my colleagues on the Republican side, even after witnessing that, even after being part of that insurrection, are unwilling to do their jobs.”

You can watch above, via MSNBC.

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