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Article snippet: White House counsel Pat Cipollone previewed aspects of a likely Senate impeachment trial with Republican senators Wednesday, highlighting procedural rules while also decrying what he called an unfair inquiry in the House. Senators who attended the lunch meeting with Cipollone said he spent much of the time discussing which articles of impeachment the House is likely to hit MORE with and what supporting facts Democrats will use to make their case in the Senate. A White House official said the meeting was “the outgrowth of a conversation between several members [in the Senate] and all of us over at the White House” who thought it would be a “good time” for Trump’s legal team to meet with the entire GOP conference. Cipollone also argued that the House inquiry was flawed because Trump’s defense team was not given the opportunity to cross-examine witnesses and Republicans were constrained in calling their own witnesses, GOP senators said. “He said a number of times, ‘We don’t think there’s any reason the House should send this to the Senate,’ ” said Sen. MORE (R-Mo.) when asked about Cipollone’s message to Republican senators. Cipollone said several times that the House Democrats’ case against Trump wasn’t strong enough to warrant an impeachment vote, reflecting a belief among some White House officials that Speaker MORE (D-Calif.) might stop short of a final vote that could put moderate Democrats from swing districts in a tough spot. While Pelosi has not said an impe... Link to the full article to read more