Starr, Dershowitz join White House legal team for impeachment trial

ajc.com

With opening arguments in the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump expected to begin in coming days, the White House on Friday unveiled a team of legal experts including former Whitewater prosecutor Ken Starr, and Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz to defend the President on Capitol Hill.

"President Trump has done nothing wrong and is confident that this team will defend him, the voters, and our democracy from this baseless, illegitimate impeachment," White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a written statement.

"The President looks forward to the end of this partisan and unconstitutional impeachment," Grisham added.

The Trump legal team members will join White House Counsel Pat Cipollone and the President's personal lawyer Jay Sekulow in defending Mr. Trump.

Here is the list provided by the White House:

+ Ken Starr, Former Independent Counsel, Whitewater investigation

+ Alan Dershowitz, Professor of Law, Emeritus, Harvard Law School

+ Pam Bondi, Former Attorney General of Florida

+ Jane Serene Raskin, Private Counsel to President Donald J. Trump

+ Eric D. Herschmann, Kasowitz, Benson, Torres LLP

+ Robert Ray, Former Independent Counsel.

While Dershowitz is a famous legal mind, Starr is the more political figure, given that his Whitewater investigation launched the impeachment of President Bill Clinton in 1999.

And his appearance immediately drew the evil eye from allies of the former President.

Democrats mocked the choices.

"If President Trump is looking to turn the impeachment trial into a reality TV show, he chose the right team with Alan Dershowitz, Ken Starr, and Robert Ray," said Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA). But this is the U.S. Senate, not the People's Court.

"Well, that's their choice," Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said of Starr during a Friday interview on MSNBC. "But it's a weird choice."

The choice of Starr also drew a profane response from Monica Lewinsky, who was the focus of Starr's investigation.

The Senate impeachment trial resumes on Tuesday with votes expected on the rules to govern the initial phase of the Trump impeachment trial.

About the Author