The tradition and notion of the Freedom of Speech was crafted and emerged for practical and wise purpose: to help to establish the ever elusive TRUTH. Trump, like all classic Fascists and Authoritarians, substituted the one and only, in all its variations Truth with the Big Lie. Therefore his words and actions are not protected by the First Amendment, and this is indeed an "irrelevant distraction", as Rep. Raskin said. M.N. | 3:28 PM 2/13/2021 WATCH: Rep. Raskin calls Trump’s First Amendment impeachment defense an ‘irrelevant distraction’

The tradition and notion of the Freedom of Speech was crafted and emerged for practical and wise purpose: to help to establish the ever elusive TRUTH. Trump, like all classic Fascists and Authoritarians, substituted the one and only, in all its variations Truth with the Big Lie. Therefore his words and actions are not protected by the First Amendment, and this is indeed an "irrelevant distraction", as Rep. Raskin said. 

M.N. | 3:28 PM 2/13/2021 

WATCH: Rep. Raskin calls Trump’s First Amendment impeachment defense an ‘irrelevant distraction’

posted on Feb 11 2021 21:29:09 UTC by PBS NewsHour via PBS NewsHour

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., spoke Feb. 11 as House impeachment managers continued to present evidence for why the Senate should convict former President Donald Trump of inciting an insurrection for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Trump was impeached by the House in January, while he was still in office.

Raskin argued that Trump’s legal defense does not hold up. “There is no First Amendment defense to impeachment for high crimes and misdemeanors. The idea itself is absurd,” Raskin said. “And the whole First Amendment smokescreen is a completely irrelevant distraction from the standard of high crimes and misdemeanors governing a president who has violated his oath of office.”