Michael van der Veen, one of former president Donald Trump’s lawyers, responded Feb. 12 to a question from Sen. Susan Collins, R-M.E., and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-A.K., asking when Trump learned of the insurrection and what he did about it. The question came after both House impeachment managers and President Donald Trump’s defense team concluded their arguments. Trump has been charged with inciting an insurrection and was impeached in the House in January, while he was still in office.
Collins and Murkowski asked Trump’s defense team to be as specific as possible, but Trump’s team did not know the answer to their question. Instead, his attorneys blamed the House managers for not doing an investigation. He then added that on Jan. 6, Trump Tweeted at 2:38 p.m., “so it was certainly some time before then.”
In response to the same question from Sen. Ed. Markey, D-M.A., Del. Stacey Plaskett, D-Virgin Islands, said there is no doubt that Trump knew of the insurrection as it happened. She noted that it was aired on live TV across major news networks and that Trump has access to intelligence information, including information inside the Capitol.
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