Live Blog: Trump’s Defense Team Takes the Stage

Mother Jones illustration; Michael Brochstein/Sipa/AP; Getty

Let our journalists help you make sense of the noise: Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter and get a recap of news that matters.Happy Friday and welcome back to Mother Jones’ live coverage of Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial.
The former president’s lawyers, who are set to deliver their defense today, are expected to largely stick to the claim that the Senate trial is unconstitutional because Trump is no longer in office. As my colleague Pema Levy noted, that’s a pretty weak argument, and most constitutional scholars have rejected it. Still, Republicans hellbent on acquitting Trump have made this dubious contention the basis of their opposition to Trump’s impeachment trial.
As for the prosecution, House impeachment managers have been widely hailed—even by some Republicans—for their exceptionally sharp presentation over the past three days. Their case for conviction featured never-before-seen video footage that underscored, in both frightening and emotional terms, the harm of Trump’s actions and how greater tragedy was only narrowly averted. Follow along for updates below:
9 a.m. ET: Despite his widely-panned, incoherent debut on Tuesday, Bruce Castor is still expected to have a speaking role today. Get the popcorn ready.

Jason Miller makes clear on Newsmax that Bruce Castor WILL have a speaking role today. He says his arguments are “crisper” and “tighter” and adds that the defense team reviewed their plan with Trump last night. They will go about four hours.
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) February 12, 2021