House managers said a lot last week at the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump about his alleged inability to uphold the Constitution and enabling the free reign of lawlessness.
In addition, they claimed, the Jan. 6 violence at the Capitol should have been denounced faster that afternoon by Trump to help quench the violence.
In his closing, the lead manager, Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, referred to the Constitution in some way at least nine times and argued that Trump “failed to defend” the lawmakers.
By the very measure, current President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi should denounce the vandals who on Friday night assaulted the home of Trump attorney Michael van der Veen outside Philadelphia.
In the Constitution, the right to representation is secured in the Bill of Rights as part of a scheme of fundamental justice.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, because he fulfilled this role in the impeachment trial, from the Senate floor, no less, vandals smashed windows and spray-painted “TRAITOR” on the sidewalk with an arrow pointing to the house of van der Veen.
Looks like in addition to the spray painting "traitor" on the sidewalk outside his house, vandals also egged Trump lawyer Michael van der Veen's suburban Philadelphia home Friday night. West Whiteland Police looking for info…. pic.twitter.com/h2jNHft1UG
— Jeremy Roebuck (@jeremyrroebuck) February 15, 2021
If Biden and Pelosi still cared for the Constitution and upheld the rule of law, vandalism should be condemned.
It’s a kind of bullying, with the subtext, “We know where you are living.”
During a Fox News interview following Trump’s acquittal on Saturday, Van der Veen became emotional when asked about the attack.
They attacked my house. I would like not to go into that,’ he said. To answer your question, right now my whole family, my business, my law firm are under siege. I don’t want to go into that, though, really. What I’d really like to do is talk about the case’s merits.
‘I am not a divisive man,’ said van der Veen. “So to speak, I’m not politically minded.”
The Inquirer reported that van der Veen represented a client who last year sued the Trump administration over U.S. reforms. The counsel claimed that the Postal Service would eliminate mail-in votes.
Another former client of van der Veen was cited by the paper as saying he came across as fairly anti-Trump.
The attorney told Fox News that he would like to see the nation “come into the middle” with respect to the partisan aspect of the impeachment proceedings.
