Trump impeachment trial live updates: Biden says charge 'not in dispute' in 1st comments on acquittal

Lead impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., opening arguments on Wednesday, projected confidence in the House managers' case which he said should compel the Senate to convict the former president and ensure he cannot run for federal office again.

"We believe that the managers' comprehensive and meticulous presentation will lead to one powerful and irresistible conclusion: Donald Trump committed a massive crime against our Constitution and our people, and the worst violation of the presidential oath of office in the history of the United States of America," Raskin sad. "For this, he was impeached by the House of Representatives and he must be convicted by the United States Senate."

Striking back against arguments raised by the defense team Tuesday, Raskin blasted Trump's attorneys for suggesting Trump cannot be convicted or disqualified from office after leaving -- noting a president's oath of office goes through noon on Jan. 20 and that there is no "January exception."

"Portraying Trump as a guy on the street being punished for his ideas is a false description of his actions, his intent, and the role that he played on Jan. 6 when he willfully incited an insurrection -- an insurrectionary mob to riot at the Capitol," Raskin said.

Raskin said the political leanings of the group have "nothing to do with" why they impeached the president but warned if Trump, as the "singular" person responsible, is not held accountable, then it could happen again.

"It makes no difference what the ideological content of the mob was," Raskin said. "If we license and forgive incitement to violent insurrection by militant Trump followers this week, you can be sure there will be a whole bunch of new ideological flavors coming soon."

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., used various exhibits, including snippets from Trump's speech at a rally on Jan. 6, tweets from the former president's now-banned account, and clips from a video released by the president after rioters breached the Capitol.

Raskin said it demonstrates that Trump acted as an "inciter-in-chief."

"Trump incited the Jan. 6th attack, and when his mob overran and occupied the Senate and attacked the House and assaulted law enforcement, he watched it on TV like a reality show. He reveled in it and he did nothing to help us as commander-in-chief," Raskin said. "Instead, he served as the inciter-in-chief, sending tweets that only further incited the rampaging mob."

Raskin also warned viewers, including teachers and parents, about the graphic nature some of the exhibits that will be used throughout the trial. He added that they will try to give warnings for violent and other graphic content.

"Because the insurrection brought shocking violence, bloodshed, and pain in the nation's capital, and we will be showing relevant clips of the mob’s attack on police officers and other innocent people. We do urge parents and teachers to exercise close review of what young people are watching here, and please watch along with them if you are allowing them to watch. The impeachment managers will try to give warnings before the most graphic and disturbing violence that took place is shown," Raskin said. "We believe that the managers’ comprehensive and meticulous presentation will lead to one powerful and irresistible conclusion."

President Joe Biden will deliver remarks on the "coup in Burma" at 1 p.m. and then heads to the Pentagon with Vice President Kamala Harris at 2 p.m.

At a White House briefing earlier Wednesday, Chief White House Correspondent Cecilia Vega pushed press secretary Jen Psaki on Biden's lack of engagement on impeachment.

"How should the American public interpret the President's silence on this? Is he not invested in the outcome of this trial, or is he?" Vega asked.

"The American public should -- should read it as his commitment to delivering on exactly what they elected him to do, which is not to be a commentator on the daily developments of an impeachment trial, but to push forward an American rescue plan that will put people back to -- that will ensure people are back to work, get the assistance they need, get shots in arms, reopen schools," Psaki said. "That's what they asked him to do, and that's what he's focused on doing every day."

When Vega pressed further on whether Biden would address impeachment once the trial was complete, Psaki didn't rule it out.

-ABC News' Molly Nagle and Sarah Kolinovsky

Lead impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., preparing to lay out the impeachment managers' arguments to the Senate, said their case is one "based in facts" and the trial "is about holding accountable the person singularly responsible for inciting the attack."

"The evidence will show you that ex-President Trump was no innocent bystander," Raskin said. "The evidence will show he clearly incited the insurrection. It will show Donald Trump surrendered his role as commander-in-chief and became the incited-in-chief, of a dangerous insurrection." 

Raskin said Trump "reveled" in the moment, sending tweets to further incite the mob, and sympathized with them while the attack was underway. 

"To us it may have felt like chaos and madness, that there was method in the madness that day," Raskin said, before laying out how Trump primed his supporters for a "stolen election" in the weeks ahead of it and continued "the big lie" after the attack.