Jamie Raskin Rails Against Trump in Impeachment Trial Push: ‘Five Americans Are Dead’ Because of the Mob He Incited

Congressman Jamie Raskin elaborated on his role as impeachment manager as he spoke of Congress’ effort to hold President Donald Trump accountable for inciting the insurrectionist mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol.

In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Raskin was asked why carry on with impeaching Trump when his presidency will end in a matter of days. Raskin responded by noting that impeachment would ban Trump from public office for the rest of his life, and he pointed to Trump’s incitement in order to dismiss the notion that this would establish a troubling political precedent.

“This was the most serious presidential crime in the history of the United States of America,” Raskin said. “The most dangerous crime by a president ever committed against the United States, and there are Republicans who are recognizing it as well as Democrats.”

Raskin continued by referencing House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney, who broke with her party to call for Trump’s impeachment over the Capitol storming. When asked about the process for bringing the House’s impeachment article before the Senate, Raskin defended the process while urging the country to remember the gravity of the situation.

Five Americans are dead because a violent mob was encouraged, extorted and incited by the president of the United States of America, which broke into the Congress of the United States, into the Capitol and came within a hair’s breadth of hanging Vice President Pence…They built a gallows outside the capitol of the United States. There was an assassination party hunting for Nancy Pelosi. So this cannot be at the level of normal, partisan push-and-pull and just kind of throwing rhetorical bricks back and forth. This was an attack on our country!

The interview continued with Raskin outlining the procedural approach he and his colleagues would take as the impeachment process plays out. He also spoke at length about his personal struggles after the tragic death of his son Tommy.

Watch above, via CNN.

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