‘You are giving them carte blanche,’ Adam Schiff warns senators of the current and future presidents

One of Donald Trump’s plucked-from-television impeachment lawyers argued every action taken by a sitting president is in the interests of the country  even if carried out mostly to win re-election. 
“If the president does something that he thinks will help him get elected, in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment,” Alan Dershowitz, a celebrity Harvard University professor, told senators. 
GOP Texas Senator Ted Cruz had asked Mr Dershowitz, whom Mr Trump used to watch on Fox News, if a commander in chief ordering a quid pro quo is legally appropriate. The question also touched on a sitting president acting, at least in part, while thinking the this-for-that deal might help on Election Day. 
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“Every public official I know believes that his election is in the public interest,” Mr Dershowitz replied. “Mostly, you’re right.”
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff of California, Democrats’ lead impeachment manager, later furrowed his brow and called Mr Dershowitz’s theory “very odd”.
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Trump styles his ‘You’re fired!’ pose in his Trump Tower office in June 2012. At the time he was known as a reality TV star on The Apprentice
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He was also well known as the patron of the Miss Universe competition
3/29
Early signs of Trump’s ambition for the presidency can be found everywhere. Not least in his 2011 book ‘Time to get tough: Making America #1 again’
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Trump with Piers Morgan in November 2010. Piers Morgan has long held that he and Trump are good friends
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Trump appeared on Fox & Friends, his favourite show, in August 2011
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Trump considered running in the 2012 election, where he would have faced Barack Obama. He is speaking here at an event for a Republican women’s group
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Trump was subject to a Comedy Central roast in 2011. He is pictured here being roasted by rapper Snoop Dogg
8/29
Given that this Trump store is in the lobby of Trump Tower, it can be said that Trump sells merchandise of himself out of his own home
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Trump held meetings with prominent Republicans when considering his 2012 bid. He is pictured here with Alaska governor Sarah Palin
10/29
He didn’t end up running in 2012 afterall, instead endorsing Republican candidate Mitt Romney
11/29
Trump’s golf course in Aberdeen proved controversial in 2012 when he began lobbying the Scottish government against wind power in order that they wouldn’t install turbines off the shore by his new course
12/29
He even gave evidence to a Scottish parliamentary committee discouraging wind energy
13/29
He still found time for a round of course
14/29
On 16 June 2015, Trump announced that he would run for the presidency of the United States in the 2016 election as a Republican
15/29
His campaign was divisive, courting controversy wherever he went. Ultimately he was declared the Republican candidate in June 2016
16/29
Trump took part in the TV debate against opponent Hillary Clinton on 9 October
17/29
Trump and wife Melania vote in the presidential election on 8 November 2016
18/29
Hillary Clinton conceded defeat at 2:50am on 9 November and president-elect Trump swiftly delivered his victory speech to a crowd of supporters
19/29
News coverage around the world focused on the huge political upset that Trump’s victory spelled
20/29
Trump met with president Obama to discusss transition planning on 10 November. Obama had fiercely denounced Trump during the election campaign, at one point even swearing that he would not leave the White House if Trump won
21/29
Donald Trump and Nigel Farage pose in the golden elevator at Trump Tower on 12 November 2016. Farage was the first British politician to meet with Trump after the election
22/29
The inauguration of Donald Trump took place on 20 January 2017. Trump’s press secretary Sean Spicer boasted that the crowd was the ‘largest ever’ to witness an inauguration, a claim that was proved not to be true
23/29
In his first 100 days as leader, Trump signed 24 executve orders, the most of any president
24/29
One of Trump’s most memorable election pledges was to build a wall between the US and Mexico. He is standing here in front of a prototype for a section of the wall
25/29
Trump’s meetings with other world leaders have provided no short supply of photo opportunities
26/29
Trump was welcomed to the UK by the Queen and a state banquet was held at Buckingham Palace in his honour
27/29
Not everyone welcomed the president. Mass protests were held in London throughout his visits in both 2018 and 2019
28/29
One of the most significant meetings Trump has held with another leader was with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. In June 2019, Trump became the first sitting president to set foot in North Korea
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2020 will see president Trump fight for a second term in office, who knows what the next decade will bring?
1/29
Trump styles his ‘You’re fired!’ pose in his Trump Tower office in June 2012. At the time he was known as a reality TV star on The Apprentice
2/29
He was also well known as the patron of the Miss Universe competition
3/29
Early signs of Trump’s ambition for the presidency can be found everywhere. Not least in his 2011 book ‘Time to get tough: Making America #1 again’
4/29
Trump with Piers Morgan in November 2010. Piers Morgan has long held that he and Trump are good friends
5/29
Trump appeared on Fox & Friends, his favourite show, in August 2011
6/29
Trump considered running in the 2012 election, where he would have faced Barack Obama. He is speaking here at an event for a Republican women’s group
7/29
Trump was subject to a Comedy Central roast in 2011. He is pictured here being roasted by rapper Snoop Dogg
8/29
Given that this Trump store is in the lobby of Trump Tower, it can be said that Trump sells merchandise of himself out of his own home
9/29
Trump held meetings with prominent Republicans when considering his 2012 bid. He is pictured here with Alaska governor Sarah Palin
10/29
He didn’t end up running in 2012 afterall, instead endorsing Republican candidate Mitt Romney
11/29
Trump’s golf course in Aberdeen proved controversial in 2012 when he began lobbying the Scottish government against wind power in order that they wouldn’t install turbines off the shore by his new course
12/29
He even gave evidence to a Scottish parliamentary committee discouraging wind energy
13/29
He still found time for a round of course
14/29
On 16 June 2015, Trump announced that he would run for the presidency of the United States in the 2016 election as a Republican
15/29
His campaign was divisive, courting controversy wherever he went. Ultimately he was declared the Republican candidate in June 2016
16/29
Trump took part in the TV debate against opponent Hillary Clinton on 9 October
17/29
Trump and wife Melania vote in the presidential election on 8 November 2016
18/29
Hillary Clinton conceded defeat at 2:50am on 9 November and president-elect Trump swiftly delivered his victory speech to a crowd of supporters
19/29
News coverage around the world focused on the huge political upset that Trump’s victory spelled
20/29
Trump met with president Obama to discusss transition planning on 10 November. Obama had fiercely denounced Trump during the election campaign, at one point even swearing that he would not leave the White House if Trump won
21/29
Donald Trump and Nigel Farage pose in the golden elevator at Trump Tower on 12 November 2016. Farage was the first British politician to meet with Trump after the election
22/29
The inauguration of Donald Trump took place on 20 January 2017. Trump’s press secretary Sean Spicer boasted that the crowd was the ‘largest ever’ to witness an inauguration, a claim that was proved not to be true
23/29
In his first 100 days as leader, Trump signed 24 executve orders, the most of any president
24/29
One of Trump’s most memorable election pledges was to build a wall between the US and Mexico. He is standing here in front of a prototype for a section of the wall
25/29
Trump’s meetings with other world leaders have provided no short supply of photo opportunities
26/29
Trump was welcomed to the UK by the Queen and a state banquet was held at Buckingham Palace in his honour
27/29
Not everyone welcomed the president. Mass protests were held in London throughout his visits in both 2018 and 2019
28/29
One of the most significant meetings Trump has held with another leader was with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. In June 2019, Trump became the first sitting president to set foot in North Korea
29/29
2020 will see president Trump fight for a second term in office, who knows what the next decade will bring?
“If you say you can’t hold a president accountable in an election year where they’re trying to cheat in that election, then you are giving them carte blanche,” Mr Schiff said. “All quid pro quos are not the same. Some are legitimate and some are corrupt.”
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Mr Dershowitz’s argument is part of a broader Trump team claim that the president did nothing wrong in his Ukraine policy efforts  and even if he did, his actions were not impeachable. 
Democrats, however, have based their case on the opposite. One of the impeachment articles stated Mr Trump’s actions amounted to him abusing the powers of his office. During the trial, Mr Schiff and his Democratic colleagues have argued Mr Trump’s power abuse was an attempt to “steal” November’s presidential election. 
As the first day of senators questioning House Democratic impeachment team and Mr Trump’s lawyers unfolded, politicians mostly asked questions of the team representing their own political party, often with highly leading questions. None of the questions from the GOP senators suggested any are thinking of voting to convict and remove Trump; it would take 20 joining with the chamber’s 47 Democrats.