Trump Names Defense Attorneys Including Kenneth Starr & Alan Dershowitz

President Donald Trump has strategically assembled a team of high-profile lawyers as he gears up for the Senate impeachment trial.

Some of the lawyers he selected have defended celebrities in the past and seemingly all of them are comfortable on television, an important trait as the impeachment trial will be televised during the prime time of his reelection bid.

The lengthy list of lawyers includes former Bill Clinton special prosecutors Kenneth Starr and Robert Ray, retired Harvard constitutional law professor Alan Dershowitz, White House counsel Pat Cipollone and longtime Trump attorney Jay Sekulow.

Among Dershowitz’s celebrity clients are Mike Tyson, Patty Hearst and O.J. Simpson. He has recently become a recurring figure on conservative outlets as an outspoken supporter of Trump.

Starr, on the other hand, brings unique insight into the trial, having worked on the opposing side during the Clinton impeachment. His team’s investigation into the former president’s real estate dealings in Arkansas eventually led to the revelation of the president’s affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky and the subsequent cover-up.

The Trump defense team will also include former Florida attorney general and current White House Adviser Pam Bondi, and Jane Raskin, a former federal prosecutor who helped defend Trump during the probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

According to a conservative news tracking site, Media Matters, Trump’s impeachment defense team has collectively made over 350 appearances on Fox News in the last year.

His team is not only responsible for convincing the 100 senators he is not guilty of the two charges — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — but must convince the American public that he is worthy of reelection.

Although the trial kicks off on Tuesday, Trump’s lawyers will likely not take the floor until the end of the week. They will offer their formal response to the seven House Democratic impeachment managers tasked with delivering the opening presentation and remarks.

It is unclear how the lineup of lawyers will pan out, but the defense will be primarily led by Cipollone and Sekulow.

Article by Katherine Huggins