WASHINGTON — Lawyers for President Donald Trump will return to the U.S. Senate on Monday to defend the president against abuse of power and obstruction charges in the third impeachment trial in American history.
Mr. Trump’s defense team is expected to continue its strategy of attacking the impeachment inquiry launched by House Democrats in September and claiming the president acting in accordance with established U.S. policy. On Saturday, the team proclaimed the president’s innocence in opening arguments lasting about two hours.
“They have the burden of proof, and they have not come close to meeting it,” White House Counsel Pat Cipollone told the senators on Saturday.
House Democrats have asserted that Mr. Trump abused his power by freezing nearly $400 million in security aid to Ukraine and by withholding a coveted White House meeting in an attempt to pressure the American ally to dig up dirt on former Vice President Joe Biden. Mr. Biden is running against Mr. Trump in this year’s presidential election.
After a 12-week impeachment inquiry last fall, the House of Representatives voted in December to impeach Mr. Trump on two articles: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
The six-member team of House Democratic impeachment trial managers have cast Mr. Trump as betraying the national interest for personal gain.
On Saturday, the White House team sought to poke holes in the evidence presented by House Democrats over nearly 24 hours of arguments. Mr. Trump was concerned about broad anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine, the White House team said, and Ukraine never felt any pressure.
Mr. Cipollone portrayed the Democrats’ efforts to remove Mr. Trump from office less than a year before Americans go to the polls as “the most massive interference in an election in American history.”
The Senate is scheduled to convene at 1 p.m. — just hours after the New York Times reported that a book draft from John Bolton, the former national security adviser, claims Mr. Trump personally pressed for aid to be withheld to investigate Mr. Biden.
Democrats have been pushing to call Mr. Bolton as a witness in the trial, but Republicans have refused.
Daniel Moore: dmoore@post-gazette.com, Twitter @PGdanielmoore
First Published: January 27, 2020, 12:53 p.m.
