The Senate is seen in on Capitol Hill in Washington, early Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 4:02 PM PT — Saturday, January 18, 2020
The White House and House Democrats are increasing their attacks ahead of next week’s impeachment trial. On Saturday, the president’s legal team said impeachment is a “brazen and unlawful attempt to overturn the results of the 2016 election and interfere with the 2020 election.”
They added the impeachment articles are unconstitutional and invalid because the president never committed a crime.
Minutes after this statement was released, House impeachment managers filed a brief of their own to explain their arguments against the president. They argued the president “abandoned his oath” and betrayed public trust. They added his actions are the “worst nightmare” for the constitution’s framers.
President Donald Trump attends a signing ceremony for a U.S.-China trade agreement with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020, with a portrait of George Washington in the background. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
This came after the White House announced some last-minute additions to its legal team.
An aggressive team of eight will take center stage next week, including Alan Dershowitz and Ken Starr. They will be led by White House Counsel Pat Cipollone and Jay Sekulow, who were announced late Friday night.
Dershowitz, a former Harvard law professor and one of America’s most renowned constitutional attorneys, noted his involvement will be limited to making the constitutional case against impeachment.
“My sole responsibility is to analyze and present the constitutional arguments against impeachment, based on the two articles of impeachment,” he said.
From left, Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla.; Rep. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif.; Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.; House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and House Judiciary Committee Chairman, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., walk through Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020, to deliver articles of impeachment to the Senate. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Ken Starr is well known for being a hard charging attorney during the Clinton impeachment days. Robert Ray, who succeeded Starr at the Office of the Independent Counsel during the Clinton administration, will also join the team.
Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, another addition, stated last week, “We want this to be behind the president as soon as possible.” Attorneys Jane Raskin and Eric D. Herschmann, who were part of the team handling the Mueller investigation, will round out the president’s legal defense.
“President Trump has done nothing wrong and is confident that this team will defend him, the voters, and our democracy from this baseless, illegitimate impeachment,” stated Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham.
All eyes will be on the newly announced team of heavy hitters after the Senate trial begins on Tuesday.
RELATED: Alan Dershowitz Says He Is On The Side Of The Constitution When Defending President Trump
In this image from video, presiding officer Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts swears in members of the Senate for the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020. (Senate Television via AP)
