Donald Trump's lawyers said on Friday that Democrats had provided no evidence the former president incited last month's deadly U.S. Capitol riot and had used his second impeachment trial to settle political scores.
Trump is on trial in the U.S. Senate on a charge of inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection by supporters who stormed the seat of Congress in Washington to stop lawmakers from certifying Democratic President Joe Biden's election victory, resulting in the deaths of five people, including a police officer.
Trump's lawyers argued that his remarks, including a fiery speech that day urging supporters to "fight like hell" to stop the certification, were protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which ensures the right to free speech.