Senators will have another eight hours to ask questions Thursday during the ninth day of President Trump's Senate impeachment trial.
Happening now: Deputy White House counsel Pat Philbin defended Trump's relationship with his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, stating, "I think it is worth pointing out that many presidents, starting with President Washington, have relied on persons who are their trusted confidants, but who are not actually employees of the government, to assist in the conduct of foreign diplomacy."
This post will be updated with new developments as the trial continues.
What's happening: Senators are submitting prewritten questions to Chief Justice John Roberts, who directs them to the House impeachment managers or Trump's legal team for a five-minute response.
- The questions provide insight into how the senators have digested the arguments from both sides, as the trial moves toward a crucial vote on whether to allow witnesses, expected on Friday.
Flashback: The most memorable moment from the first day of questions came when Trump lawyer Alan Dershowitz responded to a question from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who asked whether a quid pro quo existed and whether it mattered. Dershowitz argued that a quid pro quo can only exist in a purely corrupt form if it benefitted the president financially.
- "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," he said.
The highlights:
- Roberts declined to read a question from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who attempted to include the alleged name of the Ukraine whistleblower in his questions on Wednesday, CNN reported.
- Schiff called Dershowitz's defense of the president "a descent into constitutional madness," adding, "They compounded the dangerous argument that they made that no quid pro quo is too corrupt if you think it'll help your re-election. They compounded it by saying if what you want is targeting your rival, it's even more legitimate. That way, madness lies."
Watch:
What you need to know:
- The highlights from all of the public impeachment hearings
- Trump-Ukraine scandal: The key players, dates and documents
- Fact check: What Joe and Hunter Biden actually did in Ukraine
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