#Jamie raskin son tommy pro#
#Jamie raskin son tommy trial#

Rather, it’s the tale of Raskin’s son, whose dedication to animal rights, advocacy for pacifism and “daily ethical zeal for the truth and social fairness” endeared him to family, friends and professors - especially at Harvard Law School, where Tommy was a student. Though Raskin is a politician, “Unthinkable” is not a political memoir. Raskin’s work in the ensuing months focused on Trump’s second impeachment trial, of which the Maryland congressman was the lead manager. Barely a week later, on January 6, came the insurrection in the U.S. On the final day of 2020, Raskin lost his 25-year-old son, Tommy, to suicide. Raskin’s relentless optimism becomes clear in his latest book, “Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy,” which chronicles the dual tragedies congressman dealt with in 2021. Capitol on January 6, Congressman Jamie Raskin could still see the possibility of a 100–0 result in favor of conviction.

#Jamie raskin son tommy pro#

Yet as Senate President Pro Tempore Patrick Leahy called forth his colleagues to vote on whether Trump had incited the insurrection at the U.S. It was a number more promising than a 50–50 split along sharp party lines, the experts agreed, but the president’s acquittal still seemed inevitable.

#Jamie raskin son tommy trial#

In February of 2021, pundits estimated that former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial would end in a 53–47 vote, 14 senators shy of conviction. Editor: Karen Brenner.By Tara Davoodi, Walt Whitman High School

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Tommy Raskin Memorial Fund for People and Animals.

Tommy's Pantry, Church of the Ascension, Silver Spring, Md.

Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol.

'Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy' by Jamie Raskin (HarperCollins), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formats, available January 4 via Amazon and Indiebound.

If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. We are in the fight of our lives to defend American democracy.'Īdvice for parents concerned over a child's mental health by 'But I'm not gonna see American democracy go down the tubes. 'Look, I've already lost my son, the thing most precious to me,' said Raskin. He said, 'There was a plan, essentially, to set aside the presidential election of 2020, despite the fact that Joe Biden won by more than seven million votes, set it aside and them implant a new presidency.'īraver asked, 'Given your own personal tragedy, why do you stay in the fight?' Undaunted, Congressman Raskin agreed to serve on the January 6th committee, methodically trying to uncover what he now sees as a plot to stage a coup. 'I believed from the beginning, up until the moment when the roll call was called, that we could get 100 votes,' Raskin replied.

But the Democrats could not get the two-thirds majority they needed to convict.īraver asked, 'Did you ever honestly think that impeachment would carry the day?' Trump for 'incitement of insurrection,' Raskin became the lead House manager in the Senate Trial. Last February, after the House voted to impeach Mr. And then I felt, Rita, like Tommy was in my chest. The very worst thing that has ever happened me has already happened. 'I didn't feel any fear the entire time,' Raskin said. Security guards barricading the entrance to the House Chamber raise their weapons against insurrectionists attempting to breach Congress' tallying of the presidential vote, January 6, 2021. Raskin and other members found themselves running through the hallways, trying to find a safe place to shelter.

'And at that point it was pandemonium and chaos.' In fact, within a few minutes, after a rally where President Trump repeated the 'Big Lie' that the election had been stolen from him, Trump supporters were soon storming the Capitol, trying to break into the House chamber. And, for a second, a split-second, I thought, maybe, because of Tommy, the two sides aren't gonna fight tonight. 'And I was absolutely overcome with emotion. 'Everybody was in a standing ovation,' he recalled. Once the proceedings began, Raskin got up to speak, thanking his colleagues 'for all your love and tenderness, which my family will never forget.'