In its first formal response, US President Donald Trump's legal team on Monday rejected the impeachment charges made by the Democratic-led House of Representatives. Trump, in a written statement, denied charges of misusing his powers and obstructing the Congress that offended the US constitution.
This is the first time that Trump has tried to defend himself ahead of the Senate trial. The rejection of the charges was made by the legal team who filed a six-page written statement in response to summons asking Trump of the impeachment trial that has now reached the Senate.
What did Trump's legal team say?
Trump's legal team, led by White House counsel Pat Cipollone, filed a six-page response to the impeachment charges wherein it said that the allegations are "constitutionally invalid". The team in its response further accused the Democrats of "brazen and unlawful attempt" to nullify the results of the 2016 US presidential election. It further said that the impeachment articles passed by the House of Representatives are in a bid to interfere in the upcoming US election in November.
"The Senate should speedily reject these deficient articles of impeachment and acquit the president," an executive summary of the Republican president's pre-trial brief read. Moreover, the legal team accused the House Democrats of carrying out a rigged process and that its theory of "abuse of power" is not an impeachable offense.
Legal team gives its argument
Trump is only the fourth president in the history of US, who stands a possibility of being removed from power by impeachment. The US president has been charged by the House Democrats of misusing his office power to create pressure on foreign governments to interfere in US Presidential Election in 2016 for his personal political gain. He was further charged of attempting a cover up by obstruction Congress' investigation into misconduct.
The charges don't end here. The House Democrats also charged Trump of misusing his power to create pressure on Ukraine in 2019 to investigate his political rival Democrat Joe Biden and his son, which according to Trump, was an anti-corruption drive.
It is likely that Republic-controlled Senate won't ouster Trump from his position as President. The legal team is now furnishing its own argument. The legal team said that Trump was well within his Constitutional ambit to create pressure on Ukraine president to investigate Biden and his son in 2019. The Senate trial starts on Tuesday and Democrats claim that Trump is still performing his duties as president. Trump is scheduled to reach Davos, Switzerland on Tuesday to attend the World Economic Forum.
