Trump welcomes lawyers David Schoen and Bruce Castor into his defence team, one week before his second impeachment trial.
With just six days left until his impeachment trial, ex-president Donald Trump has announced two new attorneys who will be leading his defence team.
Lawyers David Schoen and Bruce L Castor will defend Trump against allegations that he incited support to storm Congress and stifle the peaceful transition of power.
The news comes just hours after five lawyers stepped back from the impeachment team. Amongst the group was Butch Bowers, a South Carolinian lawyer who left allegedly due to differing opinions with Trump on defences for the trial.
According to The New York Times, the former president was adamant in focussing on the election being stolen from him rather than the constitutional implications of his second impeachment. David Schoen, a federal criminal defence lawyer has already begun preparation towards Trump’s impeachment defence.
The New York/Alabama based attorney is most known for representing Roger Stone (a Trump associate sent to prison for lying to congress during the Russia probe), and visiting convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to prepare for his trial just days before his 2019 suicide.
Jeffrey Epstein, Bill Cosby, Donald Trump ββ
A lawyer isn’t the only thing these men have in common.
β ππ‘π ππ¨π§π¨π«πππ₯π LiBeratOr (@HappyBitchFace) February 1, 2021
In a statement to the Independent he mentioned:Β “It is an honour to represent the 45th president… and the United States Constitution.” Joining Schoen is former district attorney of Montgomery County, Bruce L Castor.
Castor famously declined prosecuting Bill Cosby in 2005 (13 years before his eventual conviction) and sued Cosby’s victim for defamation. He also controversially testified against a reform in 2016 that would’ve helped sex-abuse victims sue their attackers before the in cases from before the ’70s.
Trump’s team include no lawyers who assisted in his first impeachment, there is also the absence of the former President’s personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani. Although Giuliani made it clear that he wanted to defend Trump in the second trials, he is considered a potential witness in the trial as he gave a speech at the rally that preceded the Capitol Riots.
A lawyer being asked to represent Donald Trump pic.twitter.com/VvSq8KJM5W
β ElElegante101 (@skolanach) January 31, 2021
The trial is set to take place on February 8 and will be the first trial for a president who is no longer in office.
The date looms despite all but five Republicans voting to challenge the constitutional grounds of convicting a former president.
Thereβs a reason Donald Trump canβt find a lawyer to defend him. Because inciting an Insurrection to overthrow the United States Government is indefensible.
β Rob Reiner (@robreiner) January 31, 2021
There is also controversy as to whether the trial is the most efficient remedy for an impeached president no longer in office.
The penalty that does stand, however, is the permanent disqualification of Trump from ever holding public office in the future.
