When it comes to watching Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial, forget the lies, forget the distractions, forget the now predictable antics of Sen. Josh Hawley.
Instead, focus on the emerging political force that is House Delegate Stacey Plaskett, the unexpected impeachment manager who ripped a new one into Trump’s defense on Wednesday.
“Trump knew the people he was inciting, he saw the violence they were capable of, and he had a pattern and practice of praising and encouraging that violence—never, ever condemning it,” said Plaskett, who represents the Virgin Islands, in her remarks before Congress. By the time his “cavalry” of supporters arrived in Washington. D.C., “he had reason to know they were armed and willing to fight,” she argued.
It was clear in her fierce delivery that she was more than ready to take on the former president. Plaskett, a Brooklyn native, moved to the Virgin Islands after years of practicing law in the Bronx and at the Justice Department as a Republican until 2008.
Given that she was elected as a delegate in United States territory, her privileges as a member of Congress are limited. For example, she cannot cast votes on the House floor, which meant that she could never actually vote to impeach Trump. But with great wit and tenacity, Plaskett strategized a bolder way to make her mark: by becoming an impeachment manager.
“The party says that Black women are the base and our primary support, and there are five Black women in the House who are attorneys and only two of us are former prosecutors,” Plaskett said in a 2019 letter to House Leader Nancy Pelosi during Trump’s first impeachment trial.
“Please know that I understand the importance of being a House Manager and know that there will be quite a few young ladies and women for that fact of color who will be looking to me as I take on the position of House Manager. I do not take the appointment or position lightly as how history will judge us before and after the proceedings are done.”
After making a strong case for herself, she was unfortunately rejected at the time. But this time, perhaps partly because of the groundwork she laid then and partly because she was once a star law student of lead manager Jamie Raskin, she made the cut.
Arriving at the trial on Wednesday in a striking Democratic blue dress that flowed with a matching cape, Plaskett looked like a superwoman who wasn’t some stereotypical archetype of a Black woman there to save us, but a hero who came to speak truth to power. She was ready, standing confident and with conviction, knowing that the country’s democracy depended on it. If “not throwin’ away my shot” was a person, it would be Plaskett.
“The permit stated in no uncertain terms that the march from the Ellipse was not permitted,” she revealed during the trial. “It was not until after President Trump and his team became involved in the planning that the march from the Ellipse to the Capitol came about.”
Moments like these were standouts as Plaskett described how Trump was a part of “orchestrating” and “inviting” white supremacists to storm the Capitol Building, referencing how he previously told the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by” during the Sept. 29 presidential debate. It was a revelation how she was able to connect the dots, showing the inflamed Proud Boys at the Jan. 6 rally, even showing how Trump’s tweets incited the violence for several days.
One notable example Plaskett mentioned was how Trump praised MAGA fans on Twitter who allegedly tried to run off a campaign bus of his then-opponent Joe Biden on Oct. 30.
Perhaps the most powerful moment during Plaskett’s remarks was when Plaskett emotionally noted how the insurrectionist events at the Capitol reminded her of the time she served as a young staffer on 9/11.
“Almost everyday I remember that 44 Americans gave their lives to stop the plane that was headed to this Capitol building,” she said while reminding them that 2021 marks the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center in New York City.
“I thank them every day for saving my life and the life of so many others. Those Americans sacrificed their lives for love of country, honor, duty, all the things that America means. The Capitol stands because of people like that.”
But while sharing her compelling experience, the words weren’t just the only thing that caught our attention, but when Plaskett stared down every Republican in that room who would have dared to “other” her in that moment.
In other words, Plaskett came to slay and took no prisoners.
All of this is refreshing for a trial that sadly appears to be decided before it already began. As the nation watches Republicans drag American politics deeper into the mire, seeing Plaskett stand proudly there and state the case against Trump was a reminder that there is some meaning to this madness. What we are witnessing is not just a drawn-out trial, but a Black woman becoming the first non-voting House delegate to argue an impeachment trial.
Regardless of whatever the outcome of this trial will become, Plaskett dragging Trump’s defense like a piece of roadkill made it all worth it.
