Sylvie Claire / January 31, 2021
Several of former U.S. President Donald Trump's lawyers have given up defending him a few days before his impeachment trial, CNN and other U.S. media reported Saturday.
Five lawyers, two of whom were supposed to head the New York billionaire's legal team, gave up defending him after disagreements over how to proceed, the TV station said, citing anonymous sources. Trump wanted his lawyers to continue arguing the case for massive fraud in the presidential election that led to Democrat Joe Biden's victory, rather than focusing on the legality of suing a president who is no longer in office, CNN said, adding that the former president was reluctant to discuss the issue. The resigning lawyers include Butch Bowers and Deborah Barbier, who were to head Donald's defence team, the network and other media outlets said.
We've been working hard, but we haven't made a final decision on our legal team yet, we will do so soon, said Jason Miller, Donald Trump's advisor, on Twitter in response to this press information. Trump's trial for inciting insurgency after the January 6 occupation of Capitol Hill by supporters of the former president is scheduled to begin February 9. But with only five Republican senators willing to join 50 Democratic senators in considering the trial to proceed, the two-thirds majority required to move forward, 67 senators, is unlikely to be achieved. A vote on a less severe motion of non-confidence requires the vote of at least 10 Republican Senators to have a chance of passing, which some believe is possible.