Lawyer for Democrats Calls Trump 'a Clear and Present Danger' as He Argues Case for Removal

By John Wagner, Colby Itkowitz and Michael Brice-Saddler, The Washington Post

10 December 19

lawyer for Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee called President Trump “a clear and present danger” as he summarized the party’s case for impeaching him for having abused his power and obstructed a congressional investigation into his conduct in Ukraine.

The testimony from Daniel S. Goldman came amid a contentious hearing at which lawyers for both Democrats and Republicans are making cases for and against impeachment. Stephen R. Castor, a lawyer for Republicans, called impeachment “baloney” and said Democrats had failed to make a compelling case.

At the heart of the Democrats’ case is the allegation that Trump tried to leverage a White House meeting and military aid, sought by Ukraine to combat Russian military aggression, to pressure President Volodymyr Zelensky to launch an investigation of former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, as well as a probe of an unfounded theory that Kyiv conspired with Democrats to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.

• The dual roles of Rudolph W. Giuliani as power broker and shadow foreign policy adviser alarm Trump’s advisers.


• As impeachment hurtles forward, a plea for legal help for government witnesses.


• Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) echoes debunked claims that Ukraine interfered in 2016 election.


• The House Intelligence Committee’s impeachment inquiry report | Other key documents related to the inquiry | Key players on the House Judiciary Committee