He had no right to admit Rebutting evidence.
"A Letter to the Hon. Samuel Eliot, Representative in Congress From the City of Boston, In Reply to His Apology For Voting For the Fugitive Slave Bill."
Hancock
But there is a Rebutting argument which is less ad hominem.
"The English Novel"
George Saintsbury
Better, too, on all accounts, to appear something of a gentleman; more likely to excite pity for suffering-less likely to suggest excuse for Rebutting his claims, and showing him to the door.
"What Will He Do With It, Book 10."
Edward Bulwer-Lytton