Trump lawyers rely on 'brevity' in first day of impeachment defense

Pat Cipollone.
(Image credit: Senate Television via Getty Images)

President Trump's defense team kept things brief Saturday, as they launched their presentation against impeachment.

The defense, including White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, Deputy White House Counsel Mike Purpura, and Trump's personal attorney Jay Sekulow, wrapped up their arguments in about two hours. While there's more to come Monday, there was no doubt they wanted to move along much more quickly than the Democratic prosecutors earlier this week. But it likely wasn't just so they could have the rest of their weekend free; instead, it seems to be a part of their strategy to get in the good graces of their Senate audience.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.