Former US President Donald Trump’s defence team referred to his
impeachment trial as constitutionally flawed as they urged the Senate to dismiss
the case on Monday, AFP reported. 

This comes on a day before the impeachment trial is set to begin.

Citing the charges of inciting a deadly riot at the US Capitol on January 6, Trump’s lawyer said, “The Article of Impeachment presented by the House is
unconstitutional for a variety of reasons, any of which alone would be grounds
for immediate dismissal.” 

Also Read | Capitol rioters turn against Donald Trump while facing charges from US federal courts

The defence team accused the Democrats of conducting “political theatre”
instead of fair justice.

“They demonstrate conclusively that indulging House Democrats hunger
for this political theatre is a danger to our Republic democracy and the rights
that we hold dear.”

Trump refused to testify in his landmark second
impeachment trial, as per the advice of his defence team, after House prosecutor Jamie Raskin requested him to answer
questions over the January 6 attack on Capitol Hill.

There is a slight possibility that Trump might avoid
conviction due to loyal party support in the Senate, but his lawyers contended
that the Constitution does not give the chamber jurisdiction to try a former
President.

“The Senate should dismiss these charges and acquit the president
because this is clearly not what the framers wanted or what the Constitution
allows,” his defense attorneys Bruce Castor, David Schoen and Michael T.
van der Veen wrote.

President Joe Biden, who succeeded Trump on January 20, declined to
address whether Trump should be found guilty or denied the right to hold
political office in the future.

“We’ll let the Senate work that out,” Biden said.

The Senate’s 100 members will sit in judgment of Trump beginning 1:00 pm
(1800 GMT) on Tuesday in sessions that will air live across the nation. They
are stepping into uncharted territory, as no president has endured an
impeachment trial after already leaving office.