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The legal team of Donald Trump wrapped up their defense of the president in the Senate’s impeachment trial. Trump’s lawyers questioned whether the chamber will seek new witnesses hanging over the proceeding. The lawyers for Trump didn’t use over 13 hours of their possible 24 hours of case-making. They didn’t try to deny many of House Democrats’ allegations regarding Trump’s actions towards Ukraine. They used some testimony during the House’s impeachment investigation but didn’t deny that Trump needed the new government in Ukraine to look into U.S Democrats. The bulk of the defense team’s case was Trump did nothing wrong, and even if he did, those offenses fail to clear the Constitution’s bar of the impeachment.

Several observers predicted a court battle is ahead if a handful of GOP senators vote to call witnesses. There might be a legal fight that would only follow a possible delay while the president’s team and House Democrats negotiate which witness or witnesses each side would call. Some predicted the Senate trial likely will feature witnesses. It means Trump could either stand in the House chamber for his State of the Union address as the third sitting US chief executive to be impeached by the House but acquitted by the upper chamber. He might stand face-to-face with House Democrats without his fate.

Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner informed reporters that Bolton should be called because he is a first-hand witness to Trump’s actions and words. The president’s legal team said they are prepared for any outcome, including the Senate voting to call witnesses. They said the Trump defense team feels ready to address any questions and prepared for any eventuality. The legal team declined to say whether the White House National Security Council has briefed the president’s legal team on its contents. Trump’s lawyers started their closing arguments by attacking many of the premises House Democrats used to build their impeachment articles.