Published 11:23 IST, January 21st 2020
Trump's lawyers call impeachment a 'dangerous perversion' in trial brief
Trump's lawyers called his impeachment by the House unconstitutional and a 'dangerous perversion' of the United States constitution. Trial to start from today.
US President Donald Trump's legal representatives on January 20 submitted a trial brief (a written legal document based on arguments the party intends to present at trial). According to reports, Trump's lawyers called his impeachment by the House unconstitutional and a 'dangerous perversion' of the United States constitution.
However, House managers (elected to present the case to the Senate) responded to an earlier filing and said that Trump was involved in corrupt practices to cheat in the upcoming Presidential elections. According to reports, Donald Trump's impeachment trial is going to start on January 21. It will first begin with a debate based on the rules that will govern the trial which will be looked over by the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme court, John Roberts.
Trump's legal team questions the basis of the trial
According to reports, in Trump's trial brief, his legal representatives questioned the basis of the impeachment trial. They stated that the two articles based on impeachment were approved by a Democratic majority, a result of a pre-determined conclusion. While talking to a local media outlet, a person working with Trump's legal team said that the process was rigged from the start and that Donald Trump was not part of anything corrupt and had done nothing wrong.
The President's trial brief stated that the impeachment articles were a result of an unethical process that restricted Trump from exercising his basic right. However, the trial brief submitted by Impeachment managers accused Trump of unethically using his powers as a President to pressurise a foreign country to meddle with the elections for his personal benefit, adding that his actions put National security at risk.
Impeachment Articles
The two articles Article 1: abuse of power and Article 2: obstructions of Congress are the impeachment articles. Articled 1 has accused Trump of misusing his power to pressurise Kyiv to give evidence on former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden. Article 2 has accused Trump of obstructing the Congress by not allowing top officials in his administration to testify. However, Trump's legal team stated that the President had valid reasons and the authority to ask Ukraine to give him information on Biden and his son.
Trump’s defence team got a minor setback when the federal watchdog, Government Accountability Office (GAO), confirmed that the President violated the law by withholding Congressionally-approved military aid to Ukraine.
The watchdog said in a statement on January 16, “Faithful execution of the law does not permit the President to substitute his own policy priorities for those that Congress has enacted into law. OMB withheld funds for a policy reason, which is not permitted under the Impoundment Control Act (ICA).”
(With inputs from agencies)
Updated 11:23 IST, January 21st 2020