Kellyanne Conway: Trump's 'defense will go on offense' if Senate trial ensues
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President Trump's impeachment defense team will go on offense and begin attacking the Democrats' narrative if the process moves to the Senate for a trial, White House adviser Kellyanne Conway said during a Sunday television interview.
"I think [Trump's] defense will go on offense if there is a Senate trial and we’ll be able to call witnesses," she said on CBS News' "Face the Nation." "We’ll be able to challenge their witnesses -- produce other evidence, and those witnesses may include the whistleblower and, I would say, his attorney.
"Because, his attorney, Mark Zaid, had an email or a text 10 days after inauguration saying the 'coup begins now. Impeachment.'"
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For his part, Zaid told Fox News, "I was referring to a completely lawful process of what President Trump would likely face as a result of stepping over the line, and that particularly whatever would happen would come about as a result of lawyers. The coup comment referred to those working inside the administration who were already, just a week into office, standing up to him to enforce recognized rules of law."
Conway also said Trump was preparing for the possibility of a trial and claimed dozens of Democrats did not want to be roped into an impeachment fight, out of fear of losing their seats. She also said Democrats across the board will pay a heavy political price for holding up legislation that could have contributed to further economic growth.
ADAM SCHIFF CLAIMS CASE AGAINST TRUMP IS 'IRONCLAD' BUT WON'T SAY IF HE'LL BE IMPEACHED
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"We’re preparing for both eventualities," she said earlier in the interview. "If it does go to a trial in the Senate... you've got a lot of Democrats wringing their hands... Many of those Democrats, especially the ones who represent the 31 Trump-Pence districts in '16, they have to go back home and say, 'I know I promised to lower your drug prices, I know I promised to keep this great economy going, I know I promised trade deals like [the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement], but we’re busy impeaching a president,' and they’re getting blowback for that.
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"So, I think for those Democrats, it's not completely certain yet," Conway continued. "Some of them have actually gone on the record saying, 'I'm not there yet, I have to see what the articles say and what the report is.' But, we know what they didn’t see over 12 witnesses and two weeks of testimony over 30 hours. They didn’t hear anybody say when they were asked -- bribery, no, extortion, no, quid pro quo for the aid, no."
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House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., was asked during a Sunday interview on CNN if he thought Trump should be impeached but he refused to answer, despite claiming the case against him was "ironclad."
"I want to discuss this with my constituents and my colleagues before I make a final judgment on it," he told host Jake Tapper on "State of the Union."