According to an attorney on CNN, White House Counsel Pasquale "Pat" Cipollone will be under intense scrutiny as he defends Donald Trump in the upcoming Senate impeachment trial that could lead to the president's ouster from the Oval Office.
Speaking with CNN hosts Jake Tapper and Wolf Blitzer, CNN legal analyst Michael Gerhardt said the Senate trial is in many ways different than a regular courtroom trial and that could present pitfalls for Cipollone which could impact his future as an attorney.
"This is not like in a courtroom, this is political theater," Gerhardt began. "Sometimes it's not about the law, it's about the facts. So what kind of lawyer can come into this and be honest in talking about a defense of the president of the United States?"
"One risk I think Cipollone, as White House counsel has, is that he's a member of a bar association, and a member of a bar association he is under a duty to be candid and truthful before a tribunal," he elaborated. "So Cipollone will have to make representations about the evidence that's out there and about the president's innocence or guilt. Depending on what he says, he could put himself in trouble if, for example, he denies there is no evidence the president did what the articles charge"
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