Politics

Trump Expected To Add Alan Dershowitz, Kenneth Starr And Robert Ray To Impeachment Legal Defense Team

(Photo: SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

Shelby Talcott Senior White House Correspondent
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President Donald Trump will add lawyers Alan Dershowitz, Kenneth Starr and Robert Ray to his impeachment legal defense team, CNN reported Friday.

Starr helped with former President Bill Clinton’s impeachment, and Dershowitz was the former lawyer of financier and accused pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Ray replaced Starr at the Office of Independent Counsel during Clinton’s administration.

Dershowitz is expected to “present oral arguments at the Senate trial to address the constitutional arguments against impeachment and removal,” according to a spokesperson for President Donald Trump’s legal team. (RELATED: Nearly All Of Pelosi’s Impeachment Managers Supported Impeachment Before Whistleblower Complaint Was Filed)

“While Professor Dershowitz is non-partisan when it comes to the Constitution — he opposed the impeachment of President Bill Clinton and voted for Hillary Clinton — he believes the issues at stake go to the heart of our enduring Constitution,” the legal team said in a statement according to CNN. “He is participating in this impeachment trial to defend the integrity of the Constitution and to prevent the creation of a dangerous constitutional precedent.”

Former Independent Counsel Ken Starr answers questions during a discussion held at the American Enterprise Institute September 18, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Former Independent Counsel Ken Starr answers questions during a discussion held at the American Enterprise Institute September 18, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

White House counsel Pat Cipollone is leading the team of lawyers as the impeachment trial begins in the Senate. Trump has often spoken to Dershowitz for advice throughout impeachment and during the Mueller investigation, according to CNN.

The news of the three new hires comes after the team tried to hire former Republican South Carolina Rep. and former prosecutor Trey Gowdy. The hire was unsuccessful because of federal lobbying rules, according to Trump.