House Brief Demands Trump’s Removal to
Protect Rule of Law...
U.S. House impeachment managers on Saturday filed their legal brief for Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, saying the president’s pattern of misconduct made him a “threat to the nation and the rule of law.”
The conclusion was made in an 111-page document, which includes evidence the managers said “overwhelmingly” showed that Trump is guilty abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The brief calls on senators to conduct a fair trial as part of the oath they took last week to “do impartial justice.”
“President Trump has demonstrated his continued willingness to corrupt free and fair elections, betray our national security, and subvert the constitutional separation of powers—all for personal gain,” the brief says. “It is imperative that the Senate convict and remove him from office now, and permanently bar him from holding federal office.”
Also on Saturday, Trump’s legal team said in its first formal response that Democrats had mounted a “brazen and unlawful” attempt to overturn the 2016 election and meddle in this year’s vote.
While the Republican-led Senate is extremely unlikely to convict Trump on the two articles approved by the House, his defense lawyers and the House prosecutors have another important audience: The American people weighing Trump’s re-election.
The White House declined to participate in the House’s investigation, so this is the first time that Trump’s counsel addresses the merits of the case against him, rather than simply criticizing the process.
Earlier: These People Will Defend President Trump in Impeachment Trial
The president’s legal team, including Ken Starr, who served as independent counsel for the impeachment of President Bill Clinton, must file its full trial brief by noon on Monday, expanding on a six-page document delivered on Saturday.
“The articles of impeachment submitted by House Democrats are a dangerous attack on the right of the American people to freely choose their president,” Trump’s legal team says in Saturday’s filing.
Impeachment ManagersThe House’s prosecution team -- seven impeachment managers led by Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff -- will also have the option to respond to Trump’s initial legal arguments before the Senate reconvenes on Tuesday for the trial.
The case that House prosecutors sent to the Senate references new evidence that wasn’t part of the impeachment inquiry, including material from Lev Parnas, an associate of Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
Read More: Toughest Questions in Trump’s Trial to Be Considered in Secret
Parnas, who was arrested in October and indicted on campaign finance violations, this month provided House committees with documents to reinforce accusations that the president was personally involved in efforts to pressure Ukraine to conduct investigations that would benefit him politically.
At least four of the impeachment managers, including Schiff, are scheduled to appear Sunday on political talk shows. All of them will be back in Washington on Sunday, and they’ll do a walk-through of the Senate chamber Monday on the eve of the trial, the officials said....
bloomberg.com
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