WASHINGTON – The White House signaled Wednesday that it will aggressively defend President Donald Trump in a near-certain Senate impeachment trial in the coming weeks, as legal experts called by House Democrats testified in a contentious hearing that Trump’s Ukraine dealings constitute an impeachable offense. Eric Ueland, the White House director of legislative affairs, told reporters that Trump “wants his case made fully in the Senate,” previewing a strategy that will include live witnesses on the Senate floor, rather than videotaped depositions that were entered into evidence during former president Clinton’s impeachment trial in 1999. “In this instance, we believe very strongly – given the fatally flawed process in the House – that if they were to elect against our better advice [and] send over impeachment to the Senate, that we need witnesses as part of our trial and a full defense of the president on the facts,” Ueland said, gesturing toward the Senate chamber. Ueland was among a quartet of top White House officials, including counsel Pat Cipollone, who met with GOP senators on Wednesday as the administration continues to strategize with Republicans on the Senate proceedings.