Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin said Sunday that he’s “not going to lose my son at the end of 2020 and lose my country and my republic in 2021,” in a moving message that comes as he grapples with his family’s loss and his role as the House’s lead impeachment manager in President Donald Trump’s second impeachment.
“It’s not going to happen,” Raskin told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union.”
The Maryland Democrat had announced the death of his 25-year-old son, Tommy, on New Year’s Eve. The Raskins said Tommy Raskin began experiencing depression in his 20s, something that became “a kind of relentless torture in the brain for him.”
The comments on Sunday from Raskin come just days after the House moved to impeach Trump for a second time, this time charging the President with inciting a violent mob that stormed the US Capitol, an offense Raskin described as uniquely dangerous.
“This was the most serious presidential crime in the history of the United States of America. The most dangerous crime by a president ever committed against the United States,” he told Tapper.
The congressman also said that House Democrats will transmit the article of impeachment to the Senate “soon,” an action that will eventually result in the start of Trump’s impeachment trial.
“I know that (House Speaker Nancy Pelosi) also considers the President a clear and present danger to the republic,” Raskin said.
Raskin, who is one of nine House impeachment managers, also addressed his party’s decision to pursue a Senate conviction of an outgoing president, arguing Trump must be held accountable for his role inciting the violent mob on January 6.
“I don’t think anybody would seriously argue that we should establish a precedent where every president on the way out the door has two weeks or three weeks or four weeks to try to incite an armed insurrection against the union or organize a coup against the union, and if it succeeds, he becomes a dictator, and if it fails, he’s not subject to impeachment or conviction because we just want to let bygones be bygones,” he said.
Trump transition
But pressed by Tapper on whether the Democratic impeachment managers would seek witnesses for the impending trial, Raskin declined to give specifics.
“We’re putting together a trial plan, which is designed to get the truth of all of these events out,” Raskin said. “Obviously, we’re not going to be able to tell everyone’s story, but we are going to be able to tell the story of this attack on America and all of the events that led up to it.”
Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin told Tapper on the same program Sunday that his party’s leadership hasn’t promised when it will deliver the impeachment article to the Senate but added that “we have a responsibility to act as quickly as possible.”
Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader who will soon become majority leader, said last week that Trump’s trial can “begin immediately” if an agreement with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell can be reached – but the Kentucky Republican has made clear that the trial won’t start until after January 19.
If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). There is also a crisis text line. For crisis support in Spanish, call 1-888-628-9454.
This story has been updated with additional details Sunday.
CNN’s Paul LeBlanc contributed to this report.
