Former US president Donald Trump has announced new lawyers to defend him in the impeachment trial set to start on February 9, in place of those who left abruptly over the weekend.
Trial lawyers David Schoen and Bruce L Castor Jr will head the defence team, Trump’s office announced on Sunday evening, a day after the departure of five leading members of the team reportedly over differences of opinion on the defence strategy.
The announcement said the new defence team will argue “this impeachment is unconstitutional”. The earlier lawyers had left reportedly because the former president had pressed them to argue he had lost the election because of fraud, a lie that Trump, his lawyers and allies had failed to establish through more than 60 lawsuits and multiple requests for vote recounts and audits.
Trump was impeached by the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives on January 13, for inciting supporters to storm the US Capitol to prevent a joint session of Congress from certifying the electoral victory of President Joe Biden. He became thus the only US president to be impeached twice.Trump is also the first US president to face impeachment trial after leaving office. The Senate, which is evenly divided but controlled by Democrats with the tie-breaking vote of vice-President Kamala Harris, will determine his fate in a trial starting February 9.
“It is an honour to represent the 45th President, Donald J Trump, and the United States Constitution,” Schoen said.
And Castro added, “I consider it a privilege to represent the 45th President. The strength of our Constitution is about to be tested like never before in our history. It is strong and resilient. A document written for the ages, and it will triumph over partisanship yet again, and always.”
They will go up against nine Democratic members of the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives appointed Impeachment managers to prosecute the case in the Senate, whose 100 members will act as jurors. The proceedings will be presided by Patrick Leahy, a Democratic senator.
At least 17 of the evenly split Senate Republicans will have to vote with 50 Democrats to meet the threshold of two-thirds needed to convict the former president. A conviction will bar him from holding any federal office ever, effectively shutting down another run for the White House.
