Washington: The impeachment process against former US President Donald Trump takes a new course today, less than a week after its beginning in the Senate, after the former president abruptly changed his defense team.
The Democrats of the House of Representatives, who will process the case in the Senate plenary as of February 8, will present a brief prior to the procedural act in which they will present their case against Trump, and this Tuesday they must also indicate if they plan to call witnesses, a very controversial point also in the indictment that was made last year.
In this regard, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, an ardent Trump defender, recently said in an interview with Fox News that if the Democrats decide to present witnesses, the Republicans would prolong the process for weeks and even several months, which would hinder President Joe Biden’s legislative agenda.
In this context, on Sunday Trump appointed other lawyers, which according to experts evidenced his difficulties in assembling a solid defense just a week before they begin to prosecute him.
The former governor announced that the legal defense of him will be in charge of lawyers David Schoen and Bruce Castor, two figures involved in controversial cases in the past, the newspaper The Hill highlights.
The two replace South Carolina attorney Butch Bowers, who was previously connected with Trump but disagreed with the former president on the strategy for the trial.
According to The Hill, several sources related to the formation of the legal team described it as chaotic and dysfunctional due to the fact that it is a former president who is about to be impeached for the second time, and cannot find a representative. .
“This goes to a broader narrative, which is how we saw during his administration, because now he is also advised by individuals who do not know what they are doing?, the source added.
In a statement released Sunday night, Trump’s office touted the accomplishments of his new legal team, listing Schoen and Castor as effective trial attorneys, but some critics questioned his words of praise for the attorneys.
Experts on the subject point out that Trump is almost certain to be acquitted after 45 of the 50 Republican senators voted last week to support the dismissal of the case, since he is no longer a president in office.
At least 17 members of the red party would have to vote with the 50 Democrats to convict him, and since the real estate mogul left the headquarters of the White House on January 20, an eventual conviction against him would have little practical impact, although it would clear the way to prevent the ex-president from occupying any public office in the future.