Sunday 31st January 2021
Trial begins on February 9th
Trump loses five impeachment lawyers
It's about Donald Trump's political legacy: the former US President will be tried in the Senate on February 9. A few days before the impeachment proceedings begin, several lawyers jump out of his team. The background is a dispute over tactics.
Former US President Donald Trump has to look for new lawyers a good week before the impeachment process begins in the Senate. Five defense lawyers ended cooperation with Trump, as reported by CNN and other US media. Among them are the two lawyers Butch Bowers and Deborah Barbier, who should have headed Trump's defense in the Senate.
According to information from CNN, Trump had insisted that his lawyers focus the impeachment proceedings on the unsubstantiated election fraud allegations he has been making for months. Trump opposed the advice of lawyers to focus on the question of whether it is legal to prosecute a president after the end of his term in office. The final decision on the composition of Trump's legal team will be made shortly, his advisor Jason Miller wrote after the reports were published on Twitter.
Representatives of the House of Representatives formally filed the indictment against Trump in the Senate last Monday for "inciting riot". The trial is scheduled to begin on February 9th. If found guilty, the chamber could forbid Trump to run for president again.
The Republican is accused of inciting his supporters to storm the Capitol in Washington on January 6th. A two-thirds majority would be required for a guilty verdict against Trump. In addition to the 50 Democratic Senators, at least 17 Republicans would have to vote for a conviction. It is currently unlikely that a two-thirds majority will be achieved.
Trump is the first president in US history to face impeachment for the second time. The first impeachment proceedings against Trump for his efforts to get campaign support from Ukraine failed in February 2020.
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