Meet the team defending Trump in his impeachment trial

The presidents lawyers arguing his case in the Senate include celebrity attorneys and political loyalists

With Donald Trumps defense team taking the Senate floor in his impeachment trial, there are some familiar names on the roster, including heavy hitters with their own controversial roles in some of most historic legal battles in America.

Who are the people tasked with keeping Trump from becoming the first impeached president to be removed from office? Here is the full team:

Alan Dershowitz

One of Americas most well-known lawyers, Dershowitz made an international name for himself by defending such high-profile clients as OJ Simpson, disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, film director Roman Polanski, boxer Mike Tyson and former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. The 81-year-old says he leans Democrat, but that has not stopped Trump from seeking his legal advice during his presidency, and the lawyer made frequent TV appearances to defend the president during the Mueller inquiry, which investigated Russian interference in the 2016 US election and the Trump campaigns ties with Moscow.

Kenneth Starr

Another household name in the US, Starr was the aggressive independent counsel who spearheaded the investigation that culminated in the impeachment of President Bill Clinton two decades ago. The Starr report, and the 11 charges against Clinton that went with it, propelled him into international notoriety as the Republican scourge out to get a popular Democratic leader. He has refused to apologize to Monica Lewinsky, the White House intern who became the focus of the investigation as he tried to extract evidence about her tryst with Clinton.

Robert Ray

Ray is a former federal prosecutor who took over the Office of the Independent Counsel after Starr. While much of his career has been spent defending accused white-collar criminals, mixed in with some Fox News appearances, heis best-known for his detailed final reports on Clintons impeachment trial and the Whitewater scandal.

Pat Cipollone

Cipollone Trumps White House counsel, who is leading his impeachment defense team has spent most of his career in commercial litigation and tends to stay off TV. The 53-year-old is the son of Italian immigrants, a devout Catholic and a father of 10, and has been described by Trump as the strong, silent type. He has been a staunch defender of Trumps right to executive privilege, and last year penned a letter on behalf of Trump, which said the president would not cooperate with the impeachment inquiry, and calling on officials not to cooperate either. The letter forms part of the basis of one of the articles of impeachment against Trump obstruction of Congress.

Jay Sekulow

Already known as one of the presidents personal lawyers, Sekulow defended Trump throughout the Mueller investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Hes a popular name among conservative media circles as a radio and TV show host. Sekulows most recent legal challenge, however, has been to prevent the release of Trumps tax returns, taking the fight all the way to the supreme court.

Pam Bondi

Bondi is a longtime Trump supporter and champion for conservative issues. As the former attorney general of Florida, Bondi is known for her unsuccessful efforts as lead attorney to overturn the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Last year she joined the White House communications team to help with the administrations defense strategy.

According to justice department documents, she is also registered as a foreign agent for the government of Qatar and as a lobbyist for a Kuwaiti firm.

Jane Raskin

The Floridian is a former federal attorney, focused on organized crime and racketeering. Raskin worked with Sekulow and Rudy Giuliani defending Trump in the Mueller investigation. She served as first assistant to the US attorney for the district of Massachusetts before joining the justice departments criminal division as an assistant attorney.

Eric D Herschmann

Herschmann has represented Trump in some of his more prominent legal fights over the last 15 years. But previously he worked as a senior litigation counsel and assistant district attorney for the Manhattan district attorneys office. Currently, he is a partner at Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP, a law firm.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us