#Raskin son death how to
#Raskin son death free

(His father and I are friends and neighbors.) Raskin’s depiction of his remarkable son is both inspiring and almost unbearably heartbreaking, given the far-too-soon ending to his story. I knew him and can attest that he was an unusually excellent human being. Tommy, a Harvard law student at the time of his death, was brilliant, creative, empathetic, perceptive, and passionate. It is a stunning work: a biography of Tommy, an account of one of the worst days in the life of America, and a behind-the-scenes recounting of the effort to hold Trump accountable for his assault on the republic.

Raskin has written a poignant, sad, insightful, and compelling memoir of those weeks: Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy. Quite an accomplishment for a former constitutional law professor, especially under the horrific personal circumstances. That was 10 votes shy of the 67 votes required for a conviction but the largest bipartisan vote for an impeachment conviction in US history.

#Raskin son death how to

How to do that with the burden of immense suffering? The trial ended in a majority vote for conviction, 57 to 43, with seven Republicans finding Trump guilty, and the other members of the minority party essentially accepting Trump’s betrayal. That entailed devising the legal arguments and strategies for the trial in the Senate-and assuming the high-profile role as chief prosecutor. Yet Raskin, amid the deepest grief, took on a weighty assignment: leading the House managers for the second impeachment of Donald Trump. Yet for Raskin, his wife, Sarah, and their daughters, these different nightmares were intertwined, each striking at and undermining core assumptions about life and their world. These two traumas were distinct, one personal and intimate, the other with ramifications for an entire nation. The three lived through the harrowing hours, as Trump-inspired insurrectionists attacked Congress and tried to stop the transfer of power. Days later, Raskin was at the Capitol on January 6, with his daughter Hannah and the husband of his other daughter, Tabitha, for the certification of the electoral vote.

On the last day of 2020, Tommy Raskin, the 25-year-old son of Rep.

#Raskin son death free

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