The second day of President Trump's defense in his impeachment trial included a big new wrinkle in the form of John Bolton. The former national security adviser's upcoming book reportedly alleges that Trump directly linked Ukraine aid to an investigation of the Bidens, a development that is raising calls for Bolton to be called as a witness. That won't be decided until after Trump's defense team has finished its arguments, which will probably be Tuesday. Coverage:
- Big name: Kenneth Starr, a member of Trump's legal team, told senators the charges should be dismissed because Trump did not commit an actual crime, reports the Washington Post. He said that was not true in the impeachment of Bill Clinton, in which Starr played a key role. “The nation’s most recent experience, the Clinton impeachment—even though severely and roundly criticized—charged crimes,” he said. After faulting the House for passing these new articles of impeachment, he added: “I respectfully submit that the Senate should close this chapter, this idiosyncratic chapter, on this increasingly disruptive act."
- Dershowitz, too: Another big name on Trump's team, Alan Dershowitz, talked about why he changed his mind about what an impeachable offense is, per CNN. In Clinton's case, Dershowitz said he didn't much research on the matter, accepting the consensus on what he thought of as a side issue. But this case "directly raises the issue of whether criminal behavior is required." So he revisited the historical evidence and decided the Constitution's framers didn't intend for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress to be grounds for removal.