Article snippet: Speculation is increasing about the defense team being assembled by the White House as MORE stares down an impeachment trial in the GOP-controlled Senate. While Speaker MORE's (D-Calif.) decision to delay transmitting the articles of impeachment has created uncertainty around the contours and timing of the trial, it's still widely expected the Senate will begin the proceedings in January. The Trump administration has disclosed very little about its forthcoming defense apart from signaling that White House counsel Pat Cipollone will play a significant role, but the president is considering tapping others to play a part in the trial. Here are the key figures to watch as Trump mounts his impeachment defense. Pat Cipollone The White House counsel has played a key role in the impeachment response from Day One, and he’s expected to be a major player in Trump’s defense when the trial gets underway. "It looks like that, yeah," Trump told reporters when asked recently whether Cipollone would be his lead defense attorney. "We have a couple of others that we're going to put in, but Pat's been fantastic as White House counsel." Cipollone has been meeting regularly with GOP senators in recent weeks to discuss strategy and impeachment trial procedures. He has been accompanied on Capitol Hill by Eric Ueland, Trump’s legislative affairs director who was a top Senate aide during the impeachment of former President Clinton. Cipollone authored much of the correspondence sent to H... Link to the full article to read more