- Up to five lawyers have left former President Donald Trump’s defense team.
- Media outlets reported that the lawyers disagreed with Trump on his defense strategy.
- Ex-Trump campaign advisor Jason Miller tweeted that the legal team had not yet been finalized.
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Five lawyers have left former President Donald Trump’s defense team just days before his Senate trial, CNN reported Saturday night.
The departure reportedly took place after disagreements over defense strategy.
Trump had wanted his legal team to focus on false claims that the election was stolen from him, rather than whether it was legal to convict a president who was no longer in office, both CNN and the New York Times, citing well-known sources. with the issue. The Times added that a person close to Trump disputed that characterization.
Former Trump campaign advisor Jason Miller responded to the news of the departure on Saturday. tweeting that the legal team was not yet complete.
“We have done a lot of work, but have not yet made a final decision on our legal team, which will be taken soon,” he said.
CNN identified the departed attorneys as Butch Bowers, Deborah Barbier, Johnny Gasser and Greg Harris of South Carolina and Josh Howard of North Carolina. Bowers and Barbier said goodbye to the defense team in a “mutual decision,” according to the Associated Press, citing a person familiar with the situation.
The House of Representatives charged Trump with a vote of 232-197 on Jan. 13, on charges of instigating an uprising in the Capitol on Jan.
Trump has since struggled to attract defense attorneys, in part because of his unfounded allegations of widespread electoral fraud and his actions during the siege of the Capitol.
But Senate Democrats still face an uphill battle in their bid to condemn Trump. Only five Republican senators joined them in a vote to proceed with the impeachment trial scheduled for February 9.