Patrick Philbin, one of the counsels defending President Trump in the senate impeachment trial, is doing an excellent job in answering questions addressed to him. Every answer he gives lays out clearly why this impeachment is illegitimate, and how Democrats' assertions are false.
In terms of presentation and intellectual cogency, I am more impressed with Patrick Philbin than with Jay Sekulow.
For the first time in this senate impeachment trial it is abundantly obvious that President's legal team is on much firmer ground than the Democratic team. Republican senators are asking excellent questions and President's defense lawyers are providing excellent answers.
Conversely, Democratic team is doing a horrible job of making any convincing argument, primarily because legally speaking they have no case. They have to resort to nonsensical political rhetoric, which legally sounds like utter subterfuge.
Senators Graham and Cruz asked Adam Schiff this question. Schiff danced around it for a nauseatingly long time, obfuscating all over the place, but never answered the question directly. That shows how bereft of any merit the House Managers' case is. 
Philbin explained beautifully that the 23 subpoenas issued by Adam Schiff's team were invalid and properly resisted by the administration b/c the people issuing the subpoenas had no authority to issue those subpoenas for impeachment purposes because no House vote authorized them.
Kamala Harris: "Nixon said: "When the president does it that means that it is not illegal." Before he was elected, Trump said, "When you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything." ... These statements suggest each of them believed that the president is above the law."
So Kamala Harris finds yet another way to disgrace herself. What the hell is she doing throwing in a statement from Trump, made years before he ever ran for president, as a comparison with Nixon's statement in office? She is just an abominable senator!
Nora O'Donnell of @CBSNews : "We are hearing now from the Republicans that it looks less likely that we will hear from the witnesses."
Looks like Republican votes have solidified, and the dissidents cannot find the key fourth Republican vote. Democrats must be relieved.
Looks like Republican votes have solidified, and the dissidents cannot find the key fourth Republican vote. Democrats must be relieved.
@CBSNews Alan Dershowitz made a major boo-boo today by making a really stupid argument against impeachment. Whatever legal merit there might be to his argument, it sounded atrocious (see next tweet) -- an own goal.
@CBSNews Dershowitz's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Soundbite
Dershowitz closed an argument saying a president doing something with a motive of being re-elected because they think they are the greatest president and it's in the national interest is not impeachable.
Dershowitz closed an argument saying a president doing something with a motive of being re-elected because they think they are the greatest president and it's in the national interest is not impeachable.
@CBSNews If you listen to Dershowitz's entire argument, it is quite compelling, but the problem is very few people will get to see his entire argument which even involved a vignette from Lincoln. Most people will be shown the closing soundbite which will look very bad for President Trump.
@CBSNews Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski come across to me as having the mindset that Trump is guilty until proven innocent, based on the way this question from them is phrased. They addressed it to President Trump's legal counsel.
Philbin answered it superbly -- once again!
Philbin answered it superbly -- once again!
@CBSNews Adam Schiff is now reaching into his Casablanca ("of all the gin joints, Hunter Biden had to walk into this one" or something) to question why President Trump only wanted to look into Burisma corruption. Is he frickin' serious? Is he trying to persuade senators with this drivel?
@CBSNews Philbin just took Schiff to the cleaners on Schiff's false assertion that Trump Administration has been uncooperative in the extreme in producing documents and witnesses in response to Congressional subpoenas. Philbin eloquently described how Schiff's team has been sloppy.
@CBSNews As an aside, expect this kind of crap for the next 24 hours based on what I wrote above about Alan Dershowitz's boo-boo that NYT highlights (as expected, without fuller context).
@CBSNews Alan Dershowitz just shredded Laurence Tribe and other legal scholars who change their legal opinions based on who is being impeached. He said if President Obama were impeached or a President Hillary were impeached, these legal scholars will have just the opposite opinions.
@CBSNews Alan Dershowitz: "Framers rejected vague criterion of maladministration for impeachment. Reject my argument for crime if you want, but DO NOT reject my argument for Abuse of Power NOT being an impeachable offense, because doing so will DESTROY, DESTROY impeachment process."
@CBSNews Alan Dershowitz: "I gave you a list of forty American presidents who have been accused of abuse of power. Should all of them have been removed from office?"
@CBSNews Give The Devil His Due
I hate Adam Schiff's politics. A absolutely detest what he did with the "Russia Collusion!" investigation for two years, and I do not trust him at all, but I have to grudgingly admit, the man is highly competent. Totally a sleazeball, but a competent one.
I hate Adam Schiff's politics. A absolutely detest what he did with the "Russia Collusion!" investigation for two years, and I do not trust him at all, but I have to grudgingly admit, the man is highly competent. Totally a sleazeball, but a competent one.
@CBSNews First Vote Cliffhanger
There're 3 likely GOP yes votes for witnesses. The motion for witnesses hangs on the 4th vote. Guess what? The roll call on Friday will be alphabetical and the first person to be called to vote is none other than the potential 4th vote -- Lamar Alexander.
There're 3 likely GOP yes votes for witnesses. The motion for witnesses hangs on the 4th vote. Guess what? The roll call on Friday will be alphabetical and the first person to be called to vote is none other than the potential 4th vote -- Lamar Alexander.
@CBSNews Yup. Patrick Philbin was phenomenal.
[Frankly, president's defense team can do without Jay Sekulow who got on my nerves a bit, to tell you the truth.]
[Frankly, president's defense team can do without Jay Sekulow who got on my nerves a bit, to tell you the truth.]
@CBSNews Well, well, well!
Good job, Democrats. You really solidified the Republican vote today. Good for you. You know you secretly want witnesses to be blocked so Bernie, Warren, and Klobuchar can bolt out of DC. Give them a jailbreak!
Good job, Democrats. You really solidified the Republican vote today. Good for you. You know you secretly want witnesses to be blocked so Bernie, Warren, and Klobuchar can bolt out of DC. Give them a jailbreak!
@CBSNews And what did I tell you about Dershowitz's soundbite (see upthread)? MSM will milk it mercilessly, by deliberately never showing Dershowitz's whole argument about "mixed motive" (combination of personal and national interest) being unimpeachable.
