Lawyer Alan Dershowitz, a member of President Trump’s impeachment defense team, said Sunday there will be no need to call witnesses during the Senate trial if his legal arguments are successful.
Dershowitz said he is playing a specific role on the president’s defense team, arguing against Trump’s removal “solely on the Constitutional issue.”
He plans to argue that even if Trump is found guilty of everything that is alleged by Democrats, it does not rise to the level of an impeachable offense.
{mosads}”I’m making what could be the most important argument on the floor of the Senate,” Dershowitz said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Dershowitz added, “If my argument succeeds, if my argument prevails … then there is no need for witnesses.”
“No need for even arguments, any further arguments,” he added. “If the House charges do not include impeachable offenses, that’s really the end of the matter.”
The issue of calling witnesses during the Senate trial has been a central debate between Democrats and Republicans.
Democrats have argued that calling witnesses such as former national security adviser John Bolton is key to having a fair trial, but Republicans, especially Trump’s closest allies in Congress, have argued that witnesses are not necessary as the process presses forward.
The Senate trial will begin Tuesday, with the first vote being on the rules of the trial.