Independent U.S. Sen. Angus King says reliving the Jan, 6 insurrection through the impeachment trial of Donald Trump is difficult for all senators, but he says he’s not sure some are listening to the arguments.
King told MSNBC that, at times, it appears Republican senators are not really paying attention to the case being presented by the House managers. He says the videos showing the attack on the Capitol, and how close rioters came to members of Congress, appear to have struck a chord with some senators, but King says others appear to have made up their minds.
“I really am hoping that my colleagues are listening,” he says. “I am not so sure. I mean I look across and I see some of them that look like the are reading a novel or something, they aren’t looking at the screen, I can tell you that and that’s disappointing.”
King, himself, is still weighing the evidence and says he will apply a test he learned in law school, which he calls the “but for” test.
“Would something have happened but for? And the question you have to ask yourself, and I think it really boils this case down very simply, would any of this happened without Donald Trump’s actions subsequent to the election?” he says.
King says the emotional impact of the attack will be around for a long time. He says some lawmakers may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the mob violence and threats against them, regardless of their party.
