White House slams Democrats’ targeting of Pat Cipollone in impeachment trial as ‘stunt’

The White House blasted as a “political stunt” on Tuesday the effort by House Democratic impeachment managers to tag Pat Cipollone, President Trump’s top lawyer, as a fact witness in the Senate trial.

“The Democrats are an utter joke — they have no case, and this latest political stunt proves it,” said White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley. “The idea that the counsel to the president has to turn over protected documents and confidential information is ludicrous, and to imply he can’t represent the president of the United States in an impeachment proceeding is completely absurd.”

Mr. Gidley said House impeachment manager Rep. Adam B. Schiff, California Democrat, should be the one tossed out of the arena.

“The man Democrats appointed to lead these proceedings is Adam Schiff — who has been caught lying multiple times about Russia collusion evidence that didn’t exist, made up a totally phony phone conversation about Ukraine that never happened, and lied that his staff didn’t have contact with the whistleblower,” Mr. Gidley said. “If there’s anyone who should be disqualified from leading this proceeding it’s Mr. Schiff.”

The Democrats made a motion Tuesday at the start of Mr. Trump’s impeachment trial calling into question Mr. Cipollone’s actions as White House counsel. They said he has participated in events that are central to the case and must be considered a “fact witness.”