Politico reports:

Donald Trump’s lawyers insist they don’t need to form an impeachment defense team.

Yet here’s what they have: At least 30 White House and Justice Department attorneys who have worked on related issues. Several personal lawyers for the president dealing with the subject. A lurking presence at Capitol Hill impeachment-focused hearings. Aggressive legal briefs and countersuits foiling efforts to gather fuel for potential proceedings. Near-daily media appearances discussing the topic.

This technically nonexistent yet omnipresent force has been critical in stymying Democrats’ attempts to build their case for removing Trump from office. Trump’s lawyers have helped block testimony from former White House counsel Don McGahn — a key player in the most potentially damning stories from Robert Mueller’s report — fought lawmakers and prosecutors trying to see the president’s personal tax returns and protected the former special counsel’s most sensitive secrets. They’ve also advised ex-Trump staffers like Corey Lewandowski and Hope Hicks as they faced grillings from congressional Democrats.

That the president’s representatives don’t want to call their work what it is — preventing Trump’s potential impeachment — is no surprise. Any recognition that they’ve taken such an official step would be a giant red flag that they think things are more serious than they are. Still, the Trump lawyers’ combined mission effectively is to stop impeachment before it starts. [Continue reading…]