The NPR Politics Podcast Folgen

Close to a vote on whether to include witnesses, the White House legal team continued to defend its argument that the president sometimes has authority to ask foreign powers to investigate political rivals in the name of public interest.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The point was made by Alan Dershowitz, one of the president's attorneys: "If a president does something which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment."Asked to respond, Impeachment Manager Adam Schiff was incredulous. "All quid pro quos are fine, it's carte blanche?" Schiff asked. "Is that really what we're prepared to say?"The question of whether witnesses will be included in the trail remains open. While Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Republicans on Tuesday that he didn't have to votes to block witnesses, Democrats still may not have enough support to subpoena former national security adviser John Bolton. Bolton reportedly claims in a forthcoming book that President Trump conditioned aid to Ukraine on an investigation that would likely benefit his reelection bid.This episode: White House correspondents Tamara Keith and Franco Ordoñez, and political reporter Tim Mak.Connect:Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast here.Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org.Join the NPR Politics Podcast Facebook Group.Subscribe to the NPR Politics Newsletter.Find and support your local public radio station.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

President Trump's impeachment defense team concluded their arguments with time to spare Tuesday. White House counsel Pat Cipollone said the two articles of impeachment — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — "fall far short of any constitutional standard."Democrats continue to push for an agreement on witnesses; in particular, they hope to hear from former national security adviser John Bolton. According to a report in the New York Times, Bolton alleges in a forthcoming book that President Trump expressly linked aid to Ukraine to investigations into family of former Vice President Joe Biden.The impeachment trial will resume tomorrow afternoon, the beginning of a two-day question-and-answer period.This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, and congressional correspondents Susan Davis and Kelsey Snell.Connect:Subscribe to the NPR Politics Podcast here.Email the show at nprpolitics@npr.org.Join the NPR Politics Podcast Facebook Group.Subscribe to the NPR Politics Newsletter.Find and support your local public radio station.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy