Lead White House counsel Pat A. Cipollone made a fiery opening statement Tuesday in the Senate impeachment trial, arguing in favor of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s proposed rules and saying that once the senators hear the initial presentations, they will conclude President Trump has done “absolutely nothing wrong” and that there “is no case” against him.
Ironically, Cipollone was speaking over the objections of Democratic impeachment managers, who earlier in the day issued a letter denouncing Cipollone’s participation in the trial, saying his role “threatens to undermine the integrity of the pending trial.” They called him a “material witness to the charges against President Trump.”
In his remarks to the Senate, Cipollone went on to say it was difficult to sit there and listen to Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., tell a “tale” about Trump’s alleged wrongdoings. “Let’s remember how we all got here,” Cipollone said. “They made false allegations about a telephone call. The president of the United States declassified that telephone call and released it to the public.”
He then looked over at Schiff and said, “How’s that for transparency?”
After only a few minutes, it became clear Cipollone is Trump’s most able defender thus far. If his performance is any indication of how the impeachment trial will go, we should expect a speedy acquittal.
