DAY 4: Impeachment Trial Barrels Toward Saturday Acquittal of Trump; Republican Senators Impressed With Trump’s Defense in Impeachment Trial, and LOTS MORE from Day 4

Impeachment trial barrels toward Saturday acquittal of Trump:

Former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial was poised to conclude Saturday following his defense team’s presentation meant to highlight the hypocrisy and holes in the case against him.

Trump’s lawyers arrived Friday for the fourth day of the trial with their own loop of footage to counter days of dramatic and carefully edited video from Democratic impeachment managers that attempted to show the former president incited the violent Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol that followed his speech to supporters at a nearby rally protesting the certification of the presidential election results.

“This impeachment is completely divorced from the facts, the evidence, and the interests of the American people,” Trump lawyer Michael van der Veen told senators Friday. “The Senate should promptly and decisively vote to reject it. No thinking person could seriously believe that the president’s Jan. 6 speech on the Ellipse was in any way an incitement to violence or insurrection. The suggestion is patently absurd on its face.”

Defense lawyers wrapped their case in about four hours, using far less time than the nine House impeachment managers, whose presentation stretched over two days. It was followed by about two hours of questions to both sides from senators.

The Senate will convene Saturday for four hours of deliberation, followed by a vote that will likely fall short of the 67 votes needed to convict Trump. —>READ MORE HERE

Republican senators impressed with Trump’s defense in impeachment trial:

Senate Republicans credited the lawyers for former President Donald Trump Friday for putting on a strong defense in the first hours of their arguments in the Senate impeachment trial.

“The president’s lawyers blew the House managers’ case out of the water,” said Sen. Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Republican. “They just eviscerated their case. Quite honestly, if I were the president’s lawyers, I’d just rest the case right now.”

Even Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Alaska Republican who is considered a likely vote for Mr. Trump‘s conviction, said the defense team had improved its performance from the first day of the trial.

“I think they are putting on a good defense today,” Mrs. Murkowski said. “The first two hours I thought were well put together. I think the defense is more on their game today than what I saw the other day.” —>READ MORE HERE

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