Former Republican South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy said Friday that Democrats don’t expect to win in the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump — they just want to make the process “as painful as possible” for Republicans.
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“The good news for the president’s lawyers is they can’t lose the case,” Gowdy told Fox News’ “The Faulkner Focus.” “A high school mock trial team will win this case. The jury is not going to convict Donald Trump.”
“However, I’m not convinced that was the Democrats’ point. I think they want to make it as painful as possible for Republicans and, to the extent that he’s the head of the Republican Party, help themselves in 2022 and 2024,” he said. (RELATED: ‘You Cannot Overstate The Loathing’: Brit Hume Says Impeachment Is ‘Half-Baked’ But Based On Hatred For Trump)
“So what do [Trump’s] lawyers need to do? Just take Kamala Harris, for example. Remember [Supreme Court Justice] Amy Coney Barrett and her confirmation hearing? Kamala Harris told the world that this mother of seven was coming after every right you have: your healthcare rights, your voting rights — I mean that is inciteful, incendiary speech. So that’s Kamala Harris,” Gowdy continued.
Gowdy listed off some prominent Democrats who have made provocative statements in the past before citing California Rep. Eric Swawell. “For the love of God. He is an impeachment manager!”
“So play those videos,” Gowdy said.
The Fox News contributor also urged Trump’s defense team to point out how the impeachment team was long on images but short on witnesses — including one who could have documented the president’s response to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
“They need to point out the witnesses that could have answered that question. Who called the president? Who told him this was going on? What was the president’s response. What were his precise words? The prosecution didn’t call those witnesses. Good defense attorneys point out things the prosecutors could have done but did not do,” Gowdy said.
Gowdy acknowledged that some Republican senators might vote to convict Trump.
“There are a handful of Republicans that I think are … just very, very troubled by the president in general.”
But Gowdy said he knew what his response would have been.
“But if I were the president and someone was walking around saying they want to hang my vice president, you damn well better believe I’d get involved. I would be over there myself telling them to go home. We don’t attack cops. We don’t talk about hanging Mike Pence.”(RELATED: Rep. Jamie Raskin Breaks Down In Tears During Impeachment Presentation)
Rioters enter the Capitol Rotunda on Jan. 6 in Washington D.C. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
The House of Representatives impeached Trump for allegedly inciting a mob of his supporters to storm the Capitol building Jan. 6 after the president told the crowd, “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women. We will never give up, we will never concede.”
Police have arrested more than 200 people for participating in the riot.
The Senate voted to proceed with a trial by a vote of 56-44 Tuesday, having judged the proceeding to be constitutional.