Trump's impeachment defense is trash wrapped in poorly written garbage

Former president Donald Trump had some trouble putting together a legal team ahead of his second impeachment trial, which begins next week. [View in browser]( [Image]( February 3, 2021 Former president Donald Trump had some trouble putting together a legal team ahead of his second impeachment trial, which begins next week. His first team resigned rather than argue that Trump really did win the election. His new team was locked in just in time to file their first defense brief with the Senate on Tuesday. "Last year’s initial defense filing was an exacting, professional work, spanning 171 pages with dense appendixes," Hayes Brown writes. "Trump’s current defense is 14 pages of circuitous logic and rambling peons to America. It also misspells 'United States' on the first page." "I’m not saying that this sort of legal prowess won’t play well for enough of the 50 Republican members of the Senate to acquit Trump," Brown writes. "I’m just saying that in comparison to the House managers’ planned prosecution, it’s a bit like putting the Michael Jordan-era Chicago Bulls up against the Michael Jordan-era Washington Wizards." You can read the full analysis at the top of your Wednesday [MSNBC Daily.]( UNDERSTANDING THE NEWS [Alternate text] Top perspectives and analysis from our MSNBC columnists [Alternate text] Joyce Vance [The Senate is about to put blocking Trump’s 2024 run on our shoulders]( As our new president said in his inaugural address, it doesn't take all of us to protect democracy. It just takes "enough of us." [Alternate text] Frank Figliuzzi [Russia groomed Trump for years before his election. We can't afford a repeat.]( Voters deserve to know more about who they're electing. Steve Benen [Lindsey Graham manages to leave Merrick Garland hanging (again)]( Graham has a knack for leaving Merrick Garland hanging — both in 2016 and 2021. WATCH NOW [Alternate text] [The Beat With Ari]( [Rep. Schiff explains why 'you don't need the imagination of senators' in Trump's second trial]( [Deadline White House]( ['We're still trying to heal': Members of Congress are opening up about their Capitol trauma]( [All In]( [Dr. Fauci on the 'wildcard' mutants that could alter the course of the pandemic]( [The Reidout]( [Rep. Maxine Waters knows what it's like to be targeted by violent extremists]( LISTEN NOW [Alternate text] [A graphic shows a phone open to a streaming service playing The Oath.]( [The Oath]( Robert Mueller Chuck talks with former FBI Director Robert Mueller in the second half of his two-part interview. Mueller shares the story of his tenure at the FBI and his experience leading the Bureau following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. [Into America](Reporting on Race This week, Trymaine Lee holds a microscope up to the media industry with journalist Farai Chideya. They discuss the ways in which institutionalized bias in mainstream media led to inadequate coverage of race under Trump, and the lessons journalists need to keep in mind during the Biden administration. MORE ON MSNBC [Alternate text] Mike Bloomberg, the W.H.O. global ambassador for noncommunicable diseases, and Tedros Ghebreyesus, W.H.O. director general, join Stephanie Ruhle to discuss the latest on the coronavirus pandemic and the vaccine rollout under the Biden administration. Watch MSNBC Live with Stephanie Ruhle, today at 9 a.m. Eastern. Brian Williams and Nicolle Wallace host MSNBC’s special coverage of the second impeachment trial of Donald Trump in the Senate, featuring live reports from outside the Capitol and commentary from our expert panel of lawyers, political insiders and historians. Live coverage begins Tuesday at 9 a.m. Eastern. Tell us what you think. [Drop us an e-mail.](mailto:msnbc.digital.editors@nbcuni.com?subject=MSNBC Daily) Were you forwarded this email from a friend? [Subscribe to the MSNBC Daily here](. Follow MSNBC [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( [LinkedIn]( Check out the MSNBC channel on Apple News Download the NBC News Mobile App and watch MSNBC [Listen live to MSNBC on TuneIn]( [Image] [Image] [Privacy]( [Unsubscribe](listvar=sub_daily)