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

Biden remembered those who were killed and called for unity going forward.

Last Updated: February 15, 2021, 4:10 PM EST

Former President Donald Trump's historic second impeachment trial ended with a 57-43 vote to acquit in the Senate. He faced a single charge of incitement of insurrection over his actions leading up to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Feb 11, 2021, 7:24 PM EST

Trump's defense to take the floor Friday following House managers

House impeachment managers finished presenting the opening arguments in their case charging Trump with "incitement of insurrection" on Thursday.

House managers worked to directly link Trump's rhetoric at a rally shortly before -- and in the months leading up -- to the attack on the Capitol, saying that in his speech he "lit the fuse" and directed the enraged crowd toward the Capitol. Managers pointed to past violence, like in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the attack on the Michigan state capitol, to assert that Trump knew the violence his supporters were capable of and the result of sending them to the U.S. Capitol.

House impeachment managers led by Rep. Jamie Raskin arrive outside the Senate Chamber as the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump begins on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 9, 2021.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

They also honed in on Trump's actions during and after the riot, insisting that he showed no remorse for his role in the attack and refused to take action as the violence worsened. They argued that his lack of remorse and refusal to take accountability show that Trump would incite violence again.

As in the past two days, the managers relied on photos, videos and audio clips to lay out their case, forcing the senators to relive the day of the attack. Managers also were on an early defense, addressing attacks they expected would come from Trump's lawyers. For example, they said that the First Amendment did not protect the kind of speech Trump gave at the rally on Jan. 6 and his continued false claims of election fraud. Lead manager Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said that the former president was not someone who yelled fire in a crowded theater, but rather as the "proverbial municipal fire chief who incites a mob to go set the theater on fire."

In the conclusion of their opening argument, they made a plea to the Senate to hold Trump "accountable" and insisted that it would do a great deal of damage if he's given another chance at power. Raskin ended by asking senators to exercise their "common sense," a nod to Thomas Paine, in deliberations about whether Trump incited insurrection.

On Friday at noon, Trump's legal defense team will lay out their case. They are expected to argue that Trump's speech is protected by the First Amendment and that there's no evidence that Trump incited the mob.

Feb 11, 2021, 6:37 PM EST

Cassidy hopes defense answers for Trump's apparent inaction

Sen. Bill Cassidy, D-La., was the lone Republican to switch positions this week, after previously voting Trump's Senate trial was not constitutional -- joining five other Republicans who voted with Democrats to affirm the Senate's authority to put a former president on trial.

Cassidy was asked on Thursday evening what he hopes to hear from the president's defense team when they take the Senate floor at noon on Friday and he pointed to the timeline managers crafted which showed Trump waited to take action to stop the Capitol violence.

"What I hope the defense does is explain that. If one of the charges was that you should have called out people you didn't, even though it was clear that the police officers were under assault, please explain that," Cassidy said.

He said he also wanted Trump's attorneys to answer for his continued false claims of election fraud.

From left, David Schoen, Bruce Castor and Michael van der Veen, lawyers for former President Donald Trump, arrive at the Capitol on the third day of the second impeachment trial of Trump in the Senate, Feb. 11, 2021, in Washington.
Jose Luis Magana/AP

"The point was made people felt as if they had no recourse because their vote was being stolen. The president built that story. So how do you defend that, how you describe that," Cassidy said.

He said he would listen to the defense before signaling whether he's leaning toward conviction. In Trump's last Senate impeachment trial, only one Republican, Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, joined Democrats in voting to remove the president from office.

-ABC News' Allison Pecorin

Feb 11, 2021, 6:11 PM EST

What does it take to convict?: VIDEO

As Trump continues to face an unprecedented second impeachment trial, here's how the impeachment process works.

What does it take to remove a president from office?
2:30
How the impeachment process works What does it take to remove a president from office?
ABCNews.com

Feb 11, 2021, 6:02 PM EST

House manager appears to signal no witnesses will be called

Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., was asked Thursday evening if the House impeachment managers need to call witnesses or if they feel they’ve made their case.

"I think we've made our case," she said.

PHOTO: Rep. Eric Swalwell, right, Rep. Joaquin Castro, Rep. Ted Lieu, Delegate Stacey Plaskett, and Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., far left, walk to the Senate for the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, Feb. 9, 2021, in Washington.
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., right, Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., Delegate Stacey Plaskett, D-V.I., and Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., far left, and other impeachment managers, walk through the Rotunda to the Senate for the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, Feb. 9, 2021, in Washington, D.C. Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colo., is behind Delegate Stacey Plaskett, D-V.I.
Alex Brandon/AP

"I'm so contented that we put forward the very best case. It's up to the American people," Dean said in an exchange with another reporter. "The American people witnessed this, the senators witnessed this."

In Trump's 2019 Senate impeachment trial, Democrats requested to call witnesses, but Republicans blocked the move.

-ABC News' Trish Turner

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