Democratic prosecutors are warning as they close out their case in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial that he will persist in abusing his power unless Congress intervenes to remove him from office.
Rep. Adam Schiff told Republican senators on Friday that they know the president well. He said of Trump: “He is who he is.” The president's legal team is preparing its defense, expected to start Saturday.
Trump bemoaned the schedule in a morning tweet, saying it “looks like my lawyers will be forced to start on Saturday, which is called Death Valley in T.V.”
GOP shows little desire for witnesses ahead of critical vote
Republicans in the Senate appear unmoved by the Democratic push for witnesses in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial.
Democrats have darkly warned that they will live to regret not delving deeper into the evidence of Trump's dealings with Ukraine. One of the managers, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, even told them it was “treacherous” to vote against gathering more evidence.
Still it appears the Democrats are no closer to persuading the necessary four Republicans to break with their party in a critical vote expected next week. Without bipartisan support, a motion to call witnesses is certain to fail.
Now on Trump's team, Dershowitz says, 'I haven't changed'
Retired law professor Alan Dershowitz says he hasn't changed at all and has a long history of representing people whose views he doesn't necessarily agree with.
Dershowitz is part of President Donald Trump's defense team at the Senate impeachment trial. He says he ran into Trump on Christmas Eve at Mar-a-Lago and Trump asked him if he was really going to be part of the team.
The impeachment is the latest high-profile case Dershowitz has participated in over the last half-century, but perhaps no other work he's done has so befuddled his associates, friends and former students.
Now it's Trump's legal team's turn
Now that the Democrats have ended their opening arguments, the defense will be allotted 24 hours to give their side of the story. While Democrats generally spread their arguments evenly over three days, it appears Trump's team will go at a different pace.
On Saturday, Trump's team will keep their arguments to just three hours, getting underway at 10 a.m. ET. They will then get an off day Sunday before resuming opening arguments on Monday.
It is also possible as Trump's legal team will not use its full 24 hours to present opening arguments.
Once opening arguments conclude, the legal teams will then take questions from senators.