“The transition of power is always the most dangerous moment for democracies. Every historian will tell you that. We just saw it in the most astonishing way. We lived through it. And you know what? The framers of our Constitution knew it.” “It’s all about the facts. President Trump has sent his lawyers here today to try to stop the Senate from hearing the facts.” [commotion, yelling, rioting] “I was in the Capitol on Jan. 6. I was on the floor with lead manager Raskin. Like every one of you, I was evacuated as this violent mob stormed the Capitol’s gates. What you experienced that day, what we experienced that day, what our country experienced that day, is the framers’ worst nightmare come to life.” “This trial is about, is about trading liberty for the security from the mob? Honestly, no. It can’t be. We can’t be thinking about that. We can’t possibly be suggesting that we punish people for political speech in this country.” “It is an honor to appear in this historic hall of democracy. Yet today that honor is tempered by an overriding feeling of grave concern. Grave concern for the danger to the institution of the presidency that I believe even convening these proceedings indicates. They don’t need to show you movies to show you that the riot happened here. We will stipulate that it happened and you know all about it. This is a process fueled irresponsibly by base hatred by these House managers and those who gave them their charge, and they are willing to sacrifice our national character to advance their hatred and their fear that one day they might not be the party in power.” “On this vote, the yeas are 56, the nays are 44 and pursuant to S.R.S. 47, the Senate having voted in the affirmative on the foregoing question, the Senate shall proceed with the trial as provided under the provisions of that resolution.”