Now that Nancy Pelosi has named her seven horsemen of the Democratic Party apocalypse and the Senate has been sworn in, President Trump’s impeachment legal team has been named, and it has few surprises. All excellent lawyers and TV Personalities.
As expected are White House counsel Pat Cipollone and outside attorney Jay Sekulow. But added to the team are former Whitewater prosecutors Ken Starr and Robert Ray. Also added life long Democrat and Hillary Clinton voter, former Harvard Law professor and Constitutional law expert Alan Dershowitz who is also famous for defending OJ Simpson and Claus von Bulow. Additionally, former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi and Jane Raskin who was part of the President’s Russiagate legal team.
Pat Cipollone and Jay Sekulow are heading defense team. They will probably be the most visible lawyers on the senate floor. But according to the legal team, the senate will see a lot of Alan Dershowitz.
Per Maggie Haberman of the NY Times, the legal team’s spox said:
Professor Dershowitz will present oral arguments at the Senate trial to address the constitutional arguments against impeachment and removal. While Professor Dershowitz is non-partisan when it comes to the constitution — he opposed the impeachment of President Bill Clinton and voted for Hillary Clinton — he believes the issues at stake go to the heart of our enduring Constitution. He is participating in this impeachment trial to defend the integrity of the Constitution and to prevent the creation of a dangerous constitutional precedent.
Ken Starr is best known for his role as special prosecutor for the Clinton Whitewater investigation, and “outing” the Clinton affair with then Intern Monica Lewinsky. His report led to Bubba Clinton’s impeachment, but that was a tiny part of his career. Starr was a U.S.circuit judge and left that position to become U.S. solicitor general, where his responsibility was to argue cases before the Supreme Court. He was a Fox News contributor until he joined President’s legal team.
One reaction to the Ken Starr appointment came from a name long associated with him.
this is definitely an “are you fucking kidding me?” kinda day.
— Monica Lewinsky (@MonicaLewinsky) January 17, 2020
Pam Bondi has spent the past few months working to help the White House messaging regarding the president’s impeachment battle.
There are actually two jobs for this legal all-star team. The priority, of course, is to make sure the senate vote to acquit the president. But there’s another job.
As the trial goes on in the Senate, television news will be filled with Democrats telling the world that, in their opinion, President Trump is evil and deserves to be tossed out of office and thrown into jail. Most of this team of attorneys is as skilled in front of a TV camera as they are in the courtroom.
While part of the team is on the Senate floor fighting the false impeachment charges, expect to see different parts of the legal team on those news shows next fighting the lies told by Democrats on the Senate Floor, and on those same news shows.
Remember, this is not only a trial, but this is also a political process.