WATCH: Trump lawyer Michael Purpura says impeachment articles are ‘deficient and must fail’

Trump's first impeachment - 2020 Deputy White House counsel Michael Purpura argued that there were several reasons "why the articles of impeachment are deficient and must fail." Purpura also mentioned comments made by acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney about the connection between a hold on aid and investigations, saying that either media reports were "misinterpreting" Mulvaney's comments or he had misspoken. But, Purpura said, Mulvaney made it clear soon after in a written statement that there was no "quid pro quo" proposed by President Donald Trump. "A garbled or misinterpreted statement or a mistaken statement that is promptly clarified ... is not the kind of evidence that would lead to the removal of the president of the United States," Purpura said. House managers and the president’s legal team are each delivering their closing arguments in the impeachment trial on Feb. 3 before senators began to weigh in with debate on whether to remove Trump from office. In December, the House of Representatives charged him with two articles of impeachment -- abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. After the Senate on Friday voted to bar new witness testimony and subpoenas for documents, Trump’s acquittal has seemed all but assured. For more on who’s who in the Trump impeachment inquiry, read: — https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/whos-who-in-the-trump-impeachment-inquiry Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6 Follow us: Facebook: http://www.pbs.org/newshour Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/newshour Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/newshour Snapchat: @pbsnews