Trump names 2 lawyers to impeachment defense team

The two representing Trump will be defense lawyer David Schoen, a frequent television legal commentator, and Bruce Castor, a former district attorney in Pennsylvania.

By AP and World Israel News Staff

Former President Donald Trump announced a new impeachment legal defense team just one day after it was revealed that he had parted ways with an earlier set of attorneys with just over a week to go before his Senate trial.

The two representing Trump will be defense lawyer David Schoen, a frequent television legal commentator, and Bruce Castor, a former district attorney in Pennsylvania.

Both attorneys issued statements through Trump’s office on Sunday saying that they were honored to take the job.

“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,” said Castor, who served as district attorney for Montgomery County, outside of Philadelphia, from 2000 to 2008.

The announcement was intended to promote a sense of stability surrounding the Trump defense team as his impeachment trial nears. The former president has struggled to hire and retain attorneys willing to represent him, mainly due to a “cancel culture” that has targeted his past attorneys.

Trump faces charges for inciting a riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, when loyalists broke into the building to prevent lawmakers from certifying Joe Biden’s electoral victory.

Republicans and aides to Trump, the first president to be impeached twice in American history, have made clear that they intend to make a simple argument in the trial: Trump’s trial, scheduled for the week of Feb. 8, is unconstitutional because he is no longer in office.

“The Democrats’ efforts to impeach a president who has already left office is totally unconstitutional and so bad for our country,” Trump adviser Jason Miller has said.

It is generally assumed that impeachment will be dead on arrival after a Jan. 26 Senate vote in which 45 Republicans agreed that the trial of a former officeholder who is now a private citizen is unconstitutional.

The point of order was brought by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).

Only five Republicans voted against Paul’s point of order, including Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.

The Democrats need 17 Republicans to join them in order to impeach.