The spotlight shone on prosecutors as they made their way through historical tweets, making a spectacular song and dance of each. Republican Senator Josh Hawley resembled a man on vacation as he sat relaxed with his feet up throughout the proceedings, using it as an opportunity to review paperwork. A clear sign of confidence that the Republican Party will continue to stand in solidarity with Trump and not be persuaded by the prosecutor's best impression of 'The Greatest Showman'.
Although a conviction remains unlikely, the Democrats are - according to some - intent on using the trial as an opportunity to sabotage Donald Trump with their public character assassination of the former president. Sputnik spoke with Brian Silvester, councilor and former mayor of Crewe and Nantwich, to learn his thoughts on how Trump’s defence team will respond to the accusations and allegations which are threatening to turn the trial into pure theatre.
Sputnik: The Democrats' case against Donald Trump is centred around historical tweets. What precedent is this trial by Twitter setting?
Brian Silvester: I think all that is happening now is pure theatre by the Democrats. There's no doubt at all that Trump has never incited any sort of riot or violence. He's been totally against that. It's all theatre. The reason they're doing it is because the Democrats are really scared of Trump, they know that if he's allowed to stand again, he will beat them again. And so they're trying to ensure by using this impeachment, that he can't stand again.
Sputnik: Do you think the prosecutor's case will be enough to persuade Republicans to alter their support of Trump?
Brian Silvester: No I don't. In the Senate, they need a two-thirds majority to approve this.
And I don't see many of the Republicans actually voting for impeachment, because if they do, that will be tantamount to political suicide. When they come up for re-election, they will face a primary election.
And Trump supporters will make sure that in that primary, they pick a Republican candidate who is supportive of Donald Trump and not somebody who stabbed him in the back.
Sputnik: Democrats know that a conviction is unlikely. Are they attempting to sabotage Trump's career through the use of public character assassination?
Brian Silvester: They have been trying to do that ever since he first appeared on the scene and they've failed every time and they're going to fail again. What Congress should be doing, they should be looking at the biggest election steal in the history of the world. What we've seen in America is a coup, the coup without the military, but nevertheless, a coup. Where these people - the Democrats - have taken over the running of the government of the United States, when they actually lost the election. And they cheated. They stole the election, and that is what Congress should be looking at. And they shouldn't be playing games like this, trying to stop Trump standing again.
Sputnik: How do you expect Trump's defence team to respond to the accusations thrown at the former president, particularly those in which he is accused over many months of praising, encouraging and cultivating violence?
Brian Silvester: He never cultivated violence and he didn't on that day, on 6 January. What happened in the Capitol Building was clearly a set up. The Capitol Police stood down in the morning. And they knew that something like this was going to happen by antifa and other protests - far left groups - they were allowed into the Capitol Building. There's a video on the internet showing them virtually on a guided tour of the Capitol by the staff there. The whole thing was a complete and utter set-up. And it's quite clear what happened.
They failed, as they've always failed to try and ensure that Trump would lose. Trump is a winner. And I find it a bit concerning that he's walked away meekly, from what happened in the election on 3 November, because clearly he had avenues to pursue - that he could have pursued - to ensure that the stolen election was corrected. But he chose not to do that. And I'm concerned that he walked away so meekly.
