Time for case to end, say Trump's lawyers

WASHINGTON • Amid uncertainty over the question of whether to call witnesses in United States President Donald Trump's Senate impeachment trial, his legal team has wrapped up its opening arguments with an appeal for a quick acquittal.

Saying "it is time for this to end", Mr Trump's lawyers on Tuesday brushed aside former national security adviser John Bolton's explosive allegations about Mr Trump's conduct and accused Democrats of trying to interfere with Mr Trump's November re-election bid.

Afterwards, Republican senators met behind closed doors to discuss calling witnesses, including Mr Bolton, but said as they emerged that there was no resolution on the matter.

Four Republicans would need to vote for witnesses, along with all 47 Democrats and independents.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told senators in the meeting that he did not currently have the votes to block Democrats from calling witnesses at the trial because some Republicans remained uncommitted, several media outlets reported.

Republican Senator John Barrasso told reporters that the consensus in the meeting was "we've heard enough and it's time to go to a final judgment vote". But other Republicans said the vote count was unclear and no decision would be made until tomorrow.

Republican Senator Kevin Cramer, a conservative defender of Mr Trump who opposes witnesses, said Republicans were "mostly united" against witnesses, but added: "I'm pretty sure it's not unanimous. But I don't know what the numbers are."

Mr Trump's legal team sought to minimise the importance of Mr Bolton's unpublished book manuscript that describes Mr Trump's central role in a pressure campaign aimed at getting Ukraine to investigate former vice-president Joe Biden, a leading contender for the Democratic nomination to face Mr Trump in this year's election.

"You cannot impeach a president on an unsourced allegation," Mr Jay Sekulow, Mr Trump's personal lawyer, told the Senate.

The Democratic-led House on Dec 18 impeached Mr Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress arising from his request that Ukraine investigate Mr Biden, setting the stage for the trial to determine if he should be removed from office.

The Republican-controlled Senate is almost certain to acquit Mr Trump, who has painted the impeachment proceedings as an effort by Democrats to poison his re-election.

"While we are creating jobs and killing terrorists, the congressional Democrats are obsessed with demented hoaxes, crazy witch hunts and deranged partisan crusades," Mr Trump told a rally in Wildwood, New Jersey, on Tuesday.

His legal team echoed the President's comments.

"Overturning past elections and massively interfering with the upcoming one would cause serious and lasting damage to the people of the United States and to our great country. The Senate cannot allow this to happen," White House counsel Pat Cipollone told the Senate.

"It is time for this to end, here and now," he said.

Mr Adam Schiff, who served as the lead Democratic prosecutor in arguing the case against Mr Trump last week, told reporters: "A fair trial involves witnesses and it involves documents."

Mr Bolton's manuscript directly contradicts Mr Trump's account of events. He wrote that the President told him he wanted to freeze US$391 million (S$532 million) in security aid to Ukraine until Kiev pursued investigations into Democrats, including Mr Biden and his son Hunter, The New York Times reported.

Mr Bolton's allegations go to the heart of impeachment charges against Mr Trump.

Democrats have said Mr Trump abused his power by using the security aid - approved by Congress to help Ukraine battle Russia-backed separatists - as leverage to get a foreign power to smear a political rival.

Mr Sekulow underscored what fellow Trump legal team member Alan Dershowitz told senators on Monday - that even if what Mr Bolton said is true, it would not represent impeachable conduct.

Mr Trump has denied telling Mr Bolton that he sought to use the Ukraine aid as leverage to get Kiev to investigate the Bidens. He has denied any quid pro quo - a Latin term meaning "a favour for a favour" - in his dealings with Ukraine.

Mr Bolton left his White House post last September. Mr Trump has said he fired Mr Bolton, who has said, in turn, that he quit after policy disagreements.

REUTERS