Trump’s Lawyers Say He Can’t Be Impeached For Trying To Subvert The Election Because He Was Just Expressing An Opinion – Reason.com
Trump’s Lawyers Say He Can’t Be Impeached Because He Was Just Expressing an Opinion Reason.com argues that Donald Trump’s legal team is mounting an audacious defense in his second impeachment trial—not only claiming that he was merely expressing an opinion, but also challenging the very authority of the Senate to try a former president (Reason.com).
According to the piece, Trump’s lawyers insist that his fiery post-election rhetoric—featuring dire predictions that “our country will be destroyed” and exhorting supporters to “fight like hell”—does not amount to impeachable conduct. They portray his actions as protected speech, suggesting that political hyperbole doesn’t meet the Constitutional threshold for removal (Reason.com).
Moreover, the defense contends that the Senate lacks jurisdiction to convict a president who is no longer in office. They deem the trial unconstitutional on procedural grounds, arguing that impeachment applies only to sitting officials (Reason.com).
The Reason.com article emphasizes the House managers’ pushback: labeling these claims “disingenuous,” they argue that the evidence clearly shows Trump’s words went well beyond mere opinion—crossing into incitement. Referencing the Supreme Court’s landmark Brandenburg v. Ohio standard, the managers insist that Trump’s rallying cries could easily meet criteria for incitement and exceed First Amendment protections (Reason.com).
They further point to Section 3 of the 14th Amendment—prohibiting anyone who engaged in insurrection from holding office—as another basis for disqualification (Reason.com). Although Reason frames all three legal propositions (speech defense, Senate jurisdiction, Section 3 disqualification) as “dubious,” the article nonetheless underscores the broader concern: that Trump’s rhetoric may be reckless, dangerous, and foundationally at odds with democratic norms (Reason.com).
