Three Republican senators closely aligned with Donald Trump met with members of the former president’s defense team on the eve of their rebuttal to the House impeachment managers’ presentation to discuss strategy.
Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah were spotted going into a room in the US Capitol that Trump’s lawyers were using to prepare for their arguments, CNN reports.
Cruz told reporters after the meeting that they “were discussing their legal strategy and sharing our thoughts.” Asked to elaborate, Cruz said they were talking “in terms of where the argument was and where to go.”
“I think their job is to make clear how the house managers have not carried their burden of proof. They have not demonstrated that the President’s conduct satisfies the legal standard of high crimes and misdemeanors,” Cruz added.
Asked if he’s now comfortable with the Trump team’s legal strategy, Cruz said, “I think the end result of this impeachment trial is crystal clear to everybody.”
“Donald Trump will be acquitted,” he added. “It takes 67 votes to convict him and every person in the Senate chamber understands that there are not the votes to convict, nor should there be.”
Graham didn’t comment to reporters on the meeting as he left. A spokesperson for Lee said that Trump’s team invited the GOP senators, so they met with them.
The meeting comes after the Trump defense team widely panned day one performance.
When reporters asked Trump lawyer David Schoen, if it was appropriate to meet with senators, he said:
“Oh yeah, I think that’s the practice of impeachment. There’s nothing about this thing that has any semblance of due process whatsoever.”
