Why Doth The GOP Senators Rage?

Trump's defense team said Democrats hadn't connected him to the footage of what happened Jan. 6. Now the impeachment managers are going through what he was doing (or not doing) that day. https://t.co/73oM3JmSmu

— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) February 10, 2021

I’m beginning to understand Trump’s anger with his lawyers.

WOW -- @JoaquinCastrotx plays video of the insurrectionist on the right reading through a bullhorn the Trump tweet on the left, attacking Pence as the riot raged. pic.twitter.com/G1fgaKe14h

— Eric Columbus (@EricColumbus) February 11, 2021

I mean, when you can fit your argument into one tweet. And in case that’s still too obtuse:

Defense: How can we know Trump's words actually led to the violence?

Dems: Here's a guy with a bullhorn reading out the presidents tweet as they storm the Capitol.

— Jonathan Tamari (@JonathanTamari) February 10, 2021

Once more, with feeling:

House Impeachment Manager Rep. Castro makes the argument that if Trump didn’t incite the riot, then why were so many in Congress publicly and privately pleading with the former president to "call it off"

— Ali Zaslav (@alizaslav) February 11, 2021

Cruz is starting to sweat:

Yesterday, @tedcruz was one of 44 Senators to vote that Trump *cannot* be tried by the Senate:https://t.co/iWO1GleGaP

Now, he writes that Trump *can* be tried; it’s just that the Senate doesn’t *have to* do it:https://t.co/vBbCFjsHaA

These positions are ... not consistent. pic.twitter.com/JZWl4MKCoX

— Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) February 11, 2021

Saying the trial is out of order isn’t working, so let’s say the trial itself is really not necessary.  “STOP LISTENING!!! STOP LISTENING!!!!!!” Yeah, a little too late for that, Ted.

Variant II:

Stefanik will be a great case study for historians on how an Ivy-League educated, former RNC and Bush staffer slowly descended into full-on Trumpian insanity. https://t.co/BGf1OOT3Xn

— Ben Yelin (@byelin) February 11, 2021

Not really any better.

Gee, what has them sweating bullets?

The video is worth watching https://t.co/G1MBA23qkV

— Patrick LaForge (@palafo) February 11, 2021

Castro concludes the day with this: "President Trump too took an oath as president. He swore on a bible to preserve, protect, and defend. And who among us can honestly say they believe that he upheld that oath? And who among us will let utter dereliction of duty stand?" pic.twitter.com/k4ruG1Y5xE

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 11, 2021

Interrupting to point out this was clearly Joaquin Castro's day:

If Joaquin Castro were summing up a criminal conspiracy case against the former president*, the jury wouldn't be out long enough to order lunch. pic.twitter.com/pUX1tNME5j

— Charles P. Pierce (@CharlesPPierce) February 11, 2021

Alright, back to the rest of the trial.

Seems significant that a senator is acknowledging telling Trump *directly* that Pence was under threat, and Trump still didn't say anything publicly about it.

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) February 11, 2021

This tweet was from 2:24 pm ET Jan 6...

The security camera footage of Pence and his family being whisked out of the Capitol by Secret Service that we saw for the first time today was from 2:26 pm ET pic.twitter.com/udk1cXDsjP

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) February 10, 2021

just cited: https://t.co/Zmab958GfY

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) February 11, 2021

As just referenced: https://t.co/1AQDxkSxSy

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) February 11, 2021

pretty damning pic.twitter.com/b58wHwvTpO

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 10, 2021

On January 6, while Trump did nothing to stop the rioters, Gov Chris Christie tried to reach him to call off his mob and pointed out "the president caused this protect to occur. He is the only one who can make it stop." Exactly https://t.co/AgKSi7wqlT

— Barbara Comstock (@BarbaraComstock) February 10, 2021

No effect at all:

In which @RoyBlunt dismisses the armed attack on the Capitol in an attempt to disrupt the certification of the President’s electoral defeat as “people ... doing similar things” as took place during the George Floyd protests last summer. https://t.co/dkdCbClI0A

— Steve Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) February 11, 2021

In other news, some Senators showed signs of humanity:

Sen. Lankford (R-Okla.) was incredibly shaken up after that last video of Officer Hodges being crushed. I and other reporters in the chamber observed Lankford appearing to get teary-eyed. Sen. Daines (R-Mont.) was comforting him and was holding his arm.

— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) February 10, 2021

Not, however, Lindsay Graham:

Blaming Nancy Pelosi for a riot that was aimed at murdering her is almost as shameless as accusing Hillary Clinton of colluding with Russia to defeat herself https://t.co/FOiWNklHLF

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 11, 2021

He even found a way to get worse:

Maybe he was listening to a different impeachment trial? https://t.co/RLrrjBRfVT

— Susan Glasser (@sbg1) February 10, 2021

Finally:

After reporting on the ground for hours on Jan. 6th - I remember walking away thinking: it could have been so much worse.

Turns out, I really had no idea.

— Rachel Scott (@rachelvscott) February 11, 2021

Speaking for the rest of us who didn’t report on the ground that day: neither did we.