An outside adviser who speaks to the president said there’s a fear House members would “grandstand” and turn it into a “clown show” as they tried to grab the spotlight.
During the trial, only Trump’s defense team and the House Democrats’ impeachment managers will be allowed to substantively debate on the floor. Senators will be limited in what they can say during the proceedings.
But a White House aide familiar with the latest thinking said House Republicans could aggressively defend Trump on television, leaving Senate Republicans to stick to trial business as impartial jurors and avoid criticism they’re going on the air waves.
Cipollone, who has written several searing letters to Democrats critical of their efforts, will take the lead during the trial with assistance from two of his three top deputies, Michael Purpura and Patrick Philbin. Jay Sekulow, Trump’s longest-serving personal attorney, also is expected to have a presence on the Senate floor during the trial, though it’s still unclear whether he’ll deliver public remarks.
Those who spoke to Trump in recent days or over his two-week vacation, which he spent at his Mar-a-Lago resort in South Florida, said he talked about impeachment strategy but dropped any mention of House members’ role.
But some in the president’s orbit continue to argue that Trump’s congressional allies would provide a strong counterweight to the House Democratic impeachment managers — a coterie of lawmakers who will be hand-picked by Pelosi to prosecute the case against Trump on the floor.
Some of Trump’s most vocal supporters continued to make a case for themselves over the recess holiday break. Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) touted some of his colleagues late last week while appearing on the podcast „War Room: Impeachment,“ arguing that Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) would be a strong addition to the impeachment team.
„He had one of the greatest performances in the Judiciary, and I say performances because he brought the truth,“ Meadows said. “Listen, everybody wants to have their day in the sunshine. This is not a time to play politics, this is a time to put your best team on there and I think Matt Gaetz would be one of them.“
Source: politico.com
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