The House impeachment managers will introduce previously unseen evidence against President Donald Trump during the trial this week, their senior aides told reporters on a call Tuesday morning.
The aides declined to go into detail about the new evidence during the call, instructing reporters to “stay tuned” and saying there would be “more to come.”
In their argument that Trump incited the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, Democrats have already pointed to his false claims of widespread election fraud, videos of his supporters storming the seat of the U.S. government and witness statements about the riot.
The impeachment trial is set to begin Tuesday around 1 p.m. ET. Day one will focus on the question of whether holding such a trial against a former president is constitutional. Democrats, as well as several prominent legal scholars, have argued that it is clearly appropriate under the Constitution, while Trump’s defense and allies have contended it is not.
The prosecution is expected to lay out its argument on Wednesday and Thursday, showing how the Jan. 6 attack was a culmination of Trump’s monthslong incitement. The following days will include a presentation from Trump’s legal team, questions from senators, arguments on whether to subpoena witnesses or documents and closing arguments. A final vote on whether to convict Trump could come as early as Monday.
During their call with reporters, the aides said the impeachment managers planned to focus their arguments on Trump’s role in the attack and would not spend much time outside of Tuesday discussing constitutional intricacies.
The process will resemble a “violent crime criminal prosecution” more than a “constitutional convention,” according to one of the aides.
The prosecution’s presentation will attempt to show how Trump’s incessant lies about the election, including that it was “rigged” against him, and his weak response to the riot endangered then-Vice President Mike Pence, members of Congress and their staff, and law enforcement officials.
In an unlikely bid, the impeachment managers need to convince at least 17 Republican senators to join their Democratic counterparts in voting to convict Trump. Though some Republicans have condemned Trump’s rhetoric leading up to the Capitol attack, others have denied that it had any role in the violence.