All nine of the U. S. House impeachment managers performed brilliantly. The team, made up of a beautifully diverse demographic cross section, was led by Congressman Jamie Raskin, a former law professor who represents Maryland’s Eighth district. Nine terrific, talented trial managers. But, in my view, the best of the best was Stacey Plaskett, a territorial delegate from the U. S. Virgin Islands. Plaskett, alone among the nine, was unable to cast a vote on impeachment. She is a non-voting delegate.
The former prosecutor was compelling as she progressed, step by step, to lay out the case for Donald Trump’s conviction. She told the story of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, highlighting her narrative with previously unaired footage. The film clips showed Sen. Mitt Romney scurrying to barely escape Trump’s mob. They showed the Secret Service evacuating Vice President Mike Pence and his family. Pence, verbally attacked by Trump, barely escaped down a back staircase ahead of insurrectionists who howled for his hanging.
Plaskett told a well-constructed story, one we can never forget. She herself once said, “I learned that preparation and truth can carry you far, can allow you to speak truth to justice.”
She was remarkable – forceful with clarity. And such presence…….