USA: Trump 'did nothing wrong' - impeachment lawyers

*NO CUTAWAYS AT SOURCE*
W/S Senate convening, Washington DC *BUGS AT SOURCE*
SOT, Michael Purpura, Deputy White House Counsel: "Once you sweep away all of the bluster and innuendo, the selective leaks, the closed door examinations of the Democrats' hand-picked witnesses, the staged public hearings. What we're left with are six key facts that have not and will not change: First, the transcript shows that the president did not condition either security assistance or a meeting on anything. The paused security assistance funds aren't even mentioned on the call. Second, President Zelenskiy and other Ukrainian officials have repeatedly said that there was no quid pro quo and no pressure on them to review anything. Third, Presidents Zelenskiy and high ranking Ukrainian officials did not even know - did not even know - the security assistance was paused until the end of August, over a month after the July 25 call. Fourth, not a single witness testified that the president himself said that there was any connection between any investigations and security assistance, a presidential meeting or anything else. Fifth, the security assistance flowed on September 11 and a presidential meeting took place on September 25 without the Ukrainian government announcing any investigations.
Finally, the Democrats blind drive to impeach the president does not and cannot change the fact - as attested to by the Democrats own witnesses - that President Trump has been a better friend and stronger supporter of Ukraine than his predecessor. Those are the facts. We plan to address some of them today and some of them next week. Each one of these six facts standing alone is enough to sink the Democrat's case. Combined, they establish what we've known since the beginning. The president did absolutely nothing wrong." *GRAPHICS AND SLATES AT SOURCE*
SOT, Michael Purpura, Deputy White House Counsel: "I would like you to do us a favour, though, because our country has been through a lot, Ukraine knows a lot about it. As everyone knows by now. President Trump asked Presidents Zelenskiy to do us a favour and he made clear that "us" referred to our country and not himself."
*GRAPHICS AND SLATES AT SOURCE*
SOT, Michael Purpura, Deputy White House Counsel: "I want you to remember this: Every time the Democrats say that President Trump made demands or issued a quid pro quo to Presidents Zelenskiy on the July 25 call, they are saying that president Zelenskiy and his top advisers are being untruthful."
*GRAPHICS AND SLATES AT SOURCE*
SOT, Michael Purpura, Deputy White House Counsel: "The Democrats accused the president of leveraging security assistance to supposedly force Presidents Zelenskiy to announce investigations. But how can that possibly be when the Ukrainians were not even aware that the security assistance was paused? There can't be a threat without the person knowing he's being threatened. There can't be a quid pro quo without the quo."
*GRAPHICS AND SLATES AT SOURCE*
W/S Senate floor
SCRIPT
The first day of US President Trump's impeachment defence began on Saturday in Washington DC.
Deputy White House Counsel Michael Purpura attempted to shed doubt on the Democrat's case that Trump allegedly withheld military aid to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy into investigating Trump's rival Joe Biden, and his son Hunter.
"President Trump asked Presidents Zelenskiy to do us a favour and he made clear that "us" referred to our country and not himself," stressed Purpura.
"There can't be a threat without the person knowing he's being threatened. There can't be a quid pro quo without the quo," he insisted.
The US president is facing impeachment over charges of abuse of power as well as obstruction of Congress, but with a Republican majority in the Senate and a super-majority required for a conviction, the president looks set to remain in office.