'Delighted' Trump made no move to stop riot, Democrats say

Former President Donald Trump knew the riot by some of his followers at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 would be violent but failed to stop the attempted coup, House Democratic impeachment managers argued Wednesday as they opened the prosecution of Mr. Trump in his Senate trial, a session that included gripping new security video of the deadly attack.

Using Mr. Trump’s tweets and public speeches against him, the Democrats laid out a timeline of the former president’s responsibility for inciting the riot through repeated claims of election fraud. They said Mr. Trump’s dangerous actions culminated in the riot by some of his supporters to stop the certification of the Electoral College results for Joseph R. Biden.

Previously unseen security video showed the rioters coming within 100 feet of then-Vice President Mike Pence and his family in a Senate hiding place. The Pences escaped 12 minutes later. Rioters also were shown ransacking the offices of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as they searched for her.

The House managers, citing arrest affidavits, said the pro-Trump mob intended to kill Mrs. Pelosi and Mr. Pence for failing to stop the last legally mandated step to certify Mr. Biden’s victory.

“They did it because Donald Trump sent them on this mission,” said impeachment manager Stacey E. Plaskett, a Virgin Islands delegate. “President Trump put targets on their backs, and his mob broke into the Capitol to hunt them down.”

The Democrats’ prosecution team recounted Mr. Trump’s dozens of failed election lawsuits and efforts to pressure state and federal officials, including Mr. Pence, to overturn Mr. Biden’s victory or stop the election certification. When those efforts failed, they said, Mr. Trump summoned thousands of his supporters to Washington on Jan. 6 to stop Congress from counting the Electoral College results.

“When he ran out of nonviolent measures, he turned to the violent mob that attacked your Senate chamber on Jan. 6,” said Rep. Ted Lieu, California Democrat.