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Donald Trump Jr complains ‘deceptive editing’ used in Democrats opening impeachment video

Mr Trump Jr retweeted a lawyer claiming the impeachment was unconstitutional

Graig Graziosi
Tuesday 09 February 2021 21:24 GMT
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Video resurfaces of Trump calling for Obama impeachment
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Donald Trump Jr apparently believes his father's impeachment trial is the subject of selective editing and that the actions taken by the former president's supporters on 6 January were not driven by his words.

Donald Trump's son retweeted a lawyer who argued that the video shared by impeachment prosecutors in Donald Trump's Senate trial was "deceptive."

"Listening to the impeachment trial. Amazing how deceptive the editing is from the very beginning," Will Chamberlain, a lawyer and co-publisher of Human Events, wrote. "Raskin's video includes President Trump saying 'we are going to walk down to the Capitol' while omitting his request for his supporters to 'peacefully make their voices heard.'"

Read more: Follow live updates from Trump's second impeachment trial

Mr Chamberlain was referencing impeachment manager Sen. Jamie Raskin's opening arguments in Mr Trump's impeachment trial.

The lawyer went on to say that the only criminals he saw were the Capitol rioters, and said they should be the ones facing trial.

"Watching the video, I see a ton of crimes being committed by people who are not President Trump. Maybe those people should be prosecuted and the Senate should go back to doing the people's business," he said.

Instead, Mr Chamberlain argued that Mr Trump should be tried as a private citizen in the judicial system.

The sentiment that Mr Trump should be treated as private citizen and that impeachment should not be applied to him because he is no longer in office has been popular among Senate Republicans.

Prior to the impeachment, a majority of Republican senators voted to support Sen. Rand Paul's challenge to the impeachment trial on the grounds that it was unconstitutional.

Senate Democrats, many constitutional scholars, and five Senate Republicans disagreed with the interpretation and defeated the challenge.

Mr Trump himself appears to support the idea that a former president can face impeachment; a video recently resurfaced of him at a rally calling for former President Barack Obama to be impeached over his healthcare claims.

The president's son plans to campaign against one of the Republicans who turned their backs on Mr Trump, Rep. Liz Cheney.

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