Feb. 12 updates for impeachment trial Day 4: Defense team rests their case

Bruce Castor, one of President's Trump defense attorneys, said their arguments today at the Senate impeachment trial "went exactly as planned." 

Castor said he plans for his closing argument to be concise, and if the House managers plan to call witnesses the defense team would also call their own witnesses. 

The team was criticized by pundits on both sides for their free-wheeling presentation earlier this week but declined to tell reporters if the president was pleased with the defense team's presentation today. 

"I think he would have let me know if he was displeased," Castor told reporters as he was leaving the Capitol. 

Former President Donald Trump's lawyers put up a pugnacious if brief defense presentation in his impeachment trial Friday, saying his rally speech before the Capitol riot was "ordinary political rhetoric" and blasting the proceedings as a "sham" fueled by Democrats' "political hatred" for the ex-president.

Parts of the attorneys' presentation invoked the former president's language and arguments, with his lawyers charging that Trump's second impeachment trial is "constitutional cancel culture" while making numerous false claims.

During the question-and-answer session, however, the lawyers wouldn't say when Trump discovered the Capitol had been breached on Jan. 6 and what, if anything, he did to stop it.

Here are some key takeaways from Day Four of the trial.

As President Biden eyes the end of the impeachment trial, his aides are drafting a statement for him to possibly deliver afterward and crafting plans for him to intensify his push for a $1.9 trillion Covid relief package. 

This weekend Biden is making his first trip to Camp David as president where he will spend Valentine’s Day with the first lady.

Three administration officials say if the trial concludes this weekend they expect Biden to release a written statement and then turn the page next week from a process that has threatened to slow momentum on his agenda. When White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked about the president’s plans for addressing the trial once it wraps up: “He did put out a statement at the conclusion of the House trial, so I’d certainly keep that option open.” 

Still with Congress in recess for all of next week, Biden will turn his attention to building public support for his package. On Tuesday he will travel to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for his first official trip where he will participate in a town hall. Officials say he will continue outreach throughout the week, through calls and more meetings with state and local leaders. 

With the trial set to resume at 10 a.m. Saturday, a vote on conviction might happen sooner rather than later.

When it resumes, there will be up to four hours to consider whether to subpoena witnesses and documents. Should any attempts be voted down, the managers and defense then split another four-hour block for their closing arguments.

Under that timeline, a conviction vote could come as early as Saturday afternoon. Already, both sides have presented in under their maximum allotted time.

Bill Cassidy, R-La., asked House managers and the defense team a timeline question regarding when Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., spoke to the president in relation to when former President Trump tweeted insults about his vice president. 

Tuberville later told pool reporters that he "didn't know what time" the call was, saying "they'll have to find that out."

Angus King, I-Maine., told reporters he thought the defense team did not adequately respond to Cassidy's question, adding, "that's an important question. I remember thinking at the time that was one of the best questions that we had."

Elizabeth Warren, D- Mass., told reporters the defense team's response was inadequate: "The question that Senator Cassidy asked was an important one and Donald Trump's lawyers simply, once again, tried to distract, look another way, and take attention away from the underlying question about what the evidence showed that Donald Trump knew and when he knew it."

Sen. Marco Rubio asked Trump's team if convicting the former president in the Senate trial would create a new precedent where House lawmakers could impeach former officials like Hillary Clinton in the future.

Micheal van der Veen said “yes” and that impeachment could happen “to a lot of people.” 

This question, and its answer, are misleading; Trump was impeached while in office, it is the Senate trial weighing whether to convict or indict him that has extended into his time as a private citizen.

Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman received a standing ovation during a break of the impeachment trial  where it was announced he would receive the Congressional Gold Medal.  

Congress' highest honor is being awarded to Goodman for his his action on Jan. 6. He was seen on video during attack leading the mob away from the Senate chamber and to a different area as lawmakers escaped. 

Goldman was stoic in the back of the chamber during the ovation, and joined in for the round of applause for Capitol Police in general, according to a pool report.

He was swarmed by appreciative senators as they left, exchanging fist bumps and elbow bumps.

He exchanged salutes with former military members, Sens. Duckworth and Ernst (and Ernst also gave him a hug).

After that, the trial ended for the day.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., essentially asked that if Trump could be convicted while out of office, couldn't a future Congress bar other former officials, like Hillary Clinton, from holding future office?

Raskin made the point that Trump's conduct took place while he was president and that he was impeached while still in office.

"The hypothetical suggested by the gentleman from Florida has no bearing on this case," he said.

Van der Veen then came up to speak, and said Rubio was right in outlining what would become a "slippery slope," adding that senators can decide to acquit Trump on a number of technicalities.