President Donald Trump’s legal team will finish their opening arguments on Tuesday in the president’s impeachment trial in the Senate.
Stay tuned to Breitbart News for live updates. All times eastern.
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2:55 PM: McConnell says there will be up to eight hours of questioning, alternating between sides, on Wednesday and Thursday. Trial adjourns until Wednesday at 1 PM.
2:45 PM: Cipollone says Trump’s team has made their case. He says the articles of impeachment fall far short of any Constitutional standard and are dangerous. He plays past remarks against impeachment from Nadler, Lofgren, Markey, Menendez, Schumer. Cipollone says the Senators know what the right answer is and says Democrats are asking them to throw out the results of an election. He asks Senators to defend the Constitution, fundamental fairness, basic due process rights, and, most importantly, the right of every American citizen to choose their president. He says overturning the last election and massively interfering with the upcoming one would cause serious and lasting damage to the country. He asks the Senators to “end the era of impeachment for good” and put the Constitution above partisanship.
2:15 PM: Sekulow says if the bar of impeachment is set this low, future presidents will be paralyzed before even taking office. “Danger, danger, danger,” Sekulow again says.
Senate now in recess for 15 minnutes.
1:50 PM: Sekulow reiterate the facts on the call focused on foreign policy initiatives in other countries and burden-sharing. He emphasizes there was no quid pro quo. He repeats Dershowitz’s arguments (Bolton’s revelations are not grounds for impeachment) and adds that Democrats are trying to remove Trump based on “unsourced allegations” and policy differences. He warns of the danger of lowering the bar of impeachment because future president will then be held to the same low standard. He says it would impact the functioning of the government for decades.
1:40 PM: Sekulow again asks the Senators to put themselves in Trump’s shoes. He was under FBI investigation and top agents violated the trust of the FISA courts. Comey leaked a memo to obtain the appointment of a Special Counsel. Sekulow also says some of the Senators who are running for president would rather be somewhere else. He says Senators are basically being asked to remove a president due to policy differences. Sekulow says Democrats never answered the question about the “national emergency” re: Trump’s impeachment.
1:36 PM: Sekulow says all of the legal scholars from a variety of backgrounds have a common theme–“danger.”
1:35 PM: Phibin yields back to Sekulow after addressing the House Democrats’ allegations of a “cover up.” He establishes hat all witnesses testified that there was no “malicious intent.”
1:20 PM: Philbin now attacking House Democrats for focusing on “illicit motives” and says, with certain limitations, Trump cannot defy the executive branch because he is an entire branch of government that sets policy for the executive branch. Philbin says the president can have that power because he is democratically accountable to the people and there are elections every four years while the executive branch staffers are not accountable to the people. He says impeaching a president for “illicit motives” is “anti-democratic.”
1:10 PM: Philbin begins by noting Madison’s deep concerns with “vague terms” like “maladministration” would be an opportunity for the expansion of “arbitrary power.” He notes the framers rejected “maladministration” because it was too vague and “dangerous,” and they defined what constituted treason so that it would not be “malleable after the fact.” He is making the point that “abuse of power” is as vague as “maladministration.”
1:09 PM: Cipollone leads off and says the goal is to be finished by dinnertime. Trump’s team will make three presentations. Philbin and Sekulow will make presentations before Cipollone closes it out.
1:07 PM: McConnell says to expect “several hours” with a break in the middle.
1:06 PM: Roberts gavels in the Senate and the final day of closing arguments resumes.
12:50 PM: After last night’s remarks by Robert Ray and Alan Dershowitz in prime time, Trump’s lawyers, unlike the Democrats who droned on and on, are expected to wrap up their closing arguments without using all of their allotted time.
Biden milking Ernst’s remarks:
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