The Report: Impeachment, Day Six

On the sixth day of the impeachment trial of President Donald J. Trump, the president’s team of lawyers resumed their arguments in his defense. The day began with Jay Sekulow, Trump’s personal attorney, highlighting the facts that the defense says the House managers neglected in their case. He then introduced former independent counsel Ken Starr, who presented a constitutional argument against the president’s impeachment. Lawyers from the Office of White House Counsel and the president’s attorneys then addressed other factual elements of their case, including the role of Rudy Giuliani, Hunter Biden’s activities in Ukraine and the House’s investigation and impeachment process. In the evening, former independent counsel Robert Ray used historical precedent to argue for the president’s acquittal. Alan Dershowitz, emeritus professor at Harvard Law School, then outlined his constitutional case against the impeachment of President Trump.

The day unfolded amid press reports that former national security adviser John Bolton wrote in his not-yet-published book manuscript that President Trump told Bolton in August that he wanted to continue freezing $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine until officials there helped with investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens. It was not until Dershowitz’s presentation that the defense addressed the reports.

Arguments by the President’s lawyers unfolded over eight hours on Monday afternoon and evening. And while this trial is important for each and every American to hear, most do not have the luxury of fully engaging with the entire proceeding. So Lawfare and Goat Rodeo bring you the sixth day of President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial boiled down to the most essential one hour and 29 minutes.