Michael van der Veen, one of former President Donald Trump’s defense lawyers in his Senate impeachment trial, argued on Feb. 12 that the statement “fight like hell,” which Trump used in a speech before the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, is a common expression used by other politicians.
“Countless politicians have spoken of fighting for our principles. Joe Biden’s campaign slogan was ‘battle for the soul of America’,” van der Veen said. “No human being seriously believes that the use of such metaphorical terminology is incitement to political violence.”
Van der Veen spoke as the former president’s defense team offered their case for why the Senate should acquit Trump on the charge of inciting an insurrection for his role in the Capitol attack. Trump was impeached by the House in January, while he was still in office.
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