Trump Lawyers Wrap up Defense in Senate Impeachment Trial

Donald Trump’s lawyers will wrap up their arguments on Tuesday in the U.S. Senate impeachment trial of the Republican president after attacking Democrat Joe Biden but shrugging off disclosures from a former top White House adviser.

In about seven hours of arguments before the Senate on Monday, Trump’s lawyers largely ignored revelations in an unpublished manuscript by John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, that go to the heart of impeachment charges against Trump.

Trump’s lawyers said they would continue their presentations on Tuesday. It was not clear when senators would begin submitting their questions to U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts, the next step in the Senate impeachment trial.

Lawyer Pat Cipollone concluded Monday’s session with Republicans’ argument that Democrats were using impeachment as a way to overturn the results of the 2016 election as the next presidential vote approaches.

“An election is only months away and for the first time in history they are asking you to remove a president from the ballot,” he said.

Bolton wrote that Trump told him he wanted to freeze $391 million in security aid to Ukraine until Kiev helped with investigations into Democrats including Democratic political rival Joe Biden, and his son Hunter Biden, the New York Times reported.

The Bolton disclosures prompted new calls by Democrats for Bolton and other witnesses to testify. Trump is accused of abusing the power of his office in seeking foreign interference in a U.S. election and of obstructing Congress.