Reuters CARLOS BARRIA
CNN reported on Saturday that 5 lawyers have withdrawn from the defense team of former US President Donald Trump during his February 8 impeachment before the Senate.
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The channel quoted an informed source as saying that Deborah Barbier and Butch Bowers, who were supposed to be two of the main lawyers, “are no longer in the team,” in what was described as a “joint decision for them.” Bowers was in charge of forming this team, according to “CNN”.
Reuters, citing a source, confirmed that Trump had suddenly “separated” from two lawyers from his legal team, Bowers and Barbier, in a move that confused Trump’s defense team days before the Senate considered the impeachment article approved by the House of Representatives.
According to “CNN”, Josh Howard, a North Carolina attorney who was recently attached to the team, also withdrew, in addition to attorneys Johnny Gasser and Greg Harris.
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A source familiar with the issue attributed the withdrawals to a dispute of its essence that Trump wanted lawyers to argue that there was mass fraud in the elections and that the elections were stolen from him, instead of focusing on the illegality of trying a president after he left office.
“The legal team will be formed soon,” Jason Miller, a former Trump campaign advisor, said in a press statement.
He pointed out that “the efforts of the Democrats to remove a president who has already left office is completely unconstitutional and very bad for our country.”
The House of Representatives accused Trump of inciting his supporters to storm the Congress building on January 6. Conviction of Trump requires a two-thirds majority in the Senate, and as in the first impeachment trial, many Republicans see this as unlikely.
Source: US agencies + media
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