Published 02:59 IST, January 11th 2021
Trump considering Rudy Giuliani, Alan Dershowitz for impeachment trial defence
According to reports, Rudy Giuliani, who is Trump’s personal attorney, is expected to represent him. The outgoing President is also considering Alan Dershowitz.
AS US Democrats are planning to introduce an article of impeachment against Donald Trump, the incumbent president is considering having Rudy Giuliani and Alan Dershowitz defend him in the trial over Capitol riots. Demanding Trump’s resignation, House speaker and staunch critic of Trump, Nancy Pelosi had warned that she would move forward with the impeachment if he did not vacate his position immediately. In response, Trump is beginning to mull who would represent him in the Senate trial.
According to CNN, Rudy Giuliani, who is Trump’s personal attorney, is expected to represent him. The outgoing President is also considering Alan Dershowitz. However, Dershowitz, who had previously said that it would an “honour and privilege” to defend the president, clarified that he meant defending the Constitution and not the man.
The Democrats are set to initiate "incitement of insurrection" in the House of Representatives on January 11. If the article is successfully invoked, it would mark the first time that an American president would face impeachment twice in his career.
Biden knew Trump was ‘unfit to serve’
Meanwhile, President-elect Joe Biden asserted that although impeachment was on Congress to decide, he for a "long period of time" has believed that Trump wasn’t fit for the position. Democrats have accused the Republican leader of "gravely endangering" the security of the US, "integrity of the democratic system", hindering peaceful transition of power and jeopardising coordinated branch of government.
Following the January 6 incident, several Republican leaders have also called for Trump’s resignation, accusing the president of descending into "madness" over his incitement of a mob of supporters. Leaders including Pennsylvania’s Republican Senator Pat Toomey, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, and Senate Republican Ben Sasse have slammed the president for encouraging the insurrection. They have said that they would consider any article of impeachment because the president "disregarded his oath of office".
Updated 02:59 IST, January 11th 2021