Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) on Tuesday morning sounded the alarm over the potential consequences of his GOP colleagues acquitting President Donald Trump in the impeachment trial over his incitement of a deadly insurrection at the Capitol.
Coons told MSNBC that an acquittal would give Trump “a bigger voice and a more disruptive voice to spread disinformation in our country about the legitimacy of the 2020 election,” which spurred an angry mob of the President’s supporters to lay siege to the Capitol building.
Asked if he was opposed to letting Trump speak at the trial, given the risk of giving the President a platform to amplify those falsehoods, Coons asserted that “[t]here is a right to be heard and to confront one’s accusers that’s fundamental to our legal system.”
“I would have to think about that,” the Democrat said. “My gut instinct would be of course to allow him to speak in his own defense.”
Watch Coons below:
Dem Sen. Chris Coons says he’s concerned Trump will have a “bigger voice” to peddle disinformation about the 2020 election if GOP senators acquit him. pic.twitter.com/LgpUazXWMk
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) January 26, 2021
