Donald Trump has strengthened his defense team for the impeachment trial against him in the United States Senate by recruiting the famous constitutional lawyer Alan Dershowitz and the former prosecutor Kenneth Starr, central actor in the Lewinsky affair.
"Professor Dershowitz will speak in defense during the Senate trial to present constitutional arguments against dismissal", said his cabinet. Over the years, Alan Dershowitz has championed many celebrities. He notably defended O.J. Simpson, the former glory of American football, and the financier Jeffrey Epstein, accused of having sexually exploited underage girls, and who committed suicide in prison in August 2019.
Former prosecutor Kenneth Starr first became known worldwide in the 1990s for his investigation into the extramarital relationship between Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. "This is clearly the kind of day "Are you kidding me ?" ", reacted on Twitter the former White House intern. In 1999, Donald Trump said, about Ken Starr : "I think Ken Starr is crazy. I really think Ken Starr is a disaster ".
White House lawyer put forward
But it’s Pat Cipollone, the White House’s lawyer, who will be on the front line. Rather discreet, unaccustomed to television sets, this son of Italian immigrants who grew up in the Bronx, a fervent Catholic and father of 10 children, has little in common with the tempestuous real estate tycoon.
"He's the solid and silent type"said Donald Trump a few weeks ago at a White House ceremony, raving about "Pat" and his "Extraordinary team". He will have to adapt to a new role, in full light, before senators and millions of viewers.
He has so far been especially noticed by his incisive pen: it is he who wrote the letters denouncing the President's impeachment procedure, in a very aggressive tone and where we felt the breath of Donald Trump .
Jay Sekulow, Donald Trump's personal lawyer, will also be on hand. The man who represented the billionaire in the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign, led by special prosecutor Robert Mueller. He is also at the forefront of the President’s legal battle to keep his tax returns public.
Opening of the trial
The trial officially opened on Thursday but will not really begin until Tuesday at the earliest with the opening statements of the various parties. The Democrat-majority House of Representatives has called for the trial of two counts of Congressional abuse and power. She accuses Donald Trump of having pressured Ukraine into investigating Joe Biden, his potential Democratic opponent in the upcoming presidential election in November in the United States. It is up to the Senate, with a Republican majority, to judge the president, who rejects the accusations against him.
