From Far & Near   By Shashi Malla Trump’s Lawyers Make His Case 26 January: After days of legal and political arguments in which House Democrats exhaustively laid out the case that President Donald Trump illegally held up Congress-approved military aid to U.S. ally Ukraine, used taxpayer dollars to pressure that country’s new President Zelensky to help him hurt a potential political opponent back home and then tried assiduously to obstruct Congress and cover it all up, Trump’s legal team had their turn Saturday to plead in the Senate for their high-ranking client – the most powerful man in the world (CNN). Before now, the White House had officially refused to cooperate with the impeachment process in the House of Representatives. While Trump’s lawyers refuted specific elements of the case against Trump, their main arguments boiled down to two key – but outrageous – points:
  1. Democrats are trying to steal the 2020 election!
“For all their talk about election interference, they’re here to penetrate the most massive interference in an election in American history – and we can’t allow that to happen,” said White House counsel Pat Cipollone, who is leading Trump’s legal team.
  1. Insistence that there is no direct evidence of wrongdoing.
Cipollone pointed out that hearing and looking at the actual words, neither Trump nor Uktainian President VolodymyrZelensky expressly said there was pressure. This is a blatant contradiction, because Trump made an outright request in the call transcript. Legal experts’ views According to legal experts, it was smart for Trump’s team to wrap up quickly. The arguments lasted just about two hours. Cipollone, literally at the stroke of noon, said he was done for the day. PreetBharara, a former US attorney for the Southern District of New York, said pointedly: “If you take less time and make your point more crisply, that’s probably better.” On CNN, lawyer Jeffry Toobin added: “If you’re winning, shut up. I think that’s the guiding principle of what they’re doing.” Democrats’ Standpoint Immediately afterwards, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the defence arguments were proof that the Senate trial should feature witnesses and subpoenas for documents. Schumer rightly pointed out the circuitous and self-contradictory approach: “So the President’s counsel is criticizing the case against the President for lack of sources close to the President while at the same time blocking testimony from witnesses close to the President. It makes no sense.” Atmosphere of Bigotry & Highhandedness
  • During his arguments on Friday, Adam Schiff, the lead Democratic manager had recalled his satirical paraphrasing of Trump’s call with Zelensky: “I discovered something very significant by mocking the President and that is for a man who loves to mock others, he does not like to be mocked. As it turns out, he’s got a pretty thin skin.”
Schiff hit the nail right on the head!
  • An audio has emerged in which Trump tells Lev Parnas, an associate of Rudy Guilliani, Trump’s personal lawyer and go-to man for Ukraine, to get rid of US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch. Trump’s mob had the feeling that she was a hindrance to Trump’s nefarious activity in Ukraine.
Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo had refused repeatedly to protect Ambassador Yovanovitch.
  • The Pentagon’s vow to protect Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman against retaliation is being tested after Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee repeatedly attacked the decorated veteran and National Security Council aide for testifying during the House enquiry.
The writer can be reached at: shashipbmalla@hotmail.com