Trump's entire legal team quits week before impeachment trial

[BUtterfield 8 41,818]

All five of the impeachment lawyers who were expected to represent former President Donald Trumphave called it quits, sources told ABC News.

The team, led by South Carolina lawyer Butch Bowers, resigned in part because of disagreements over how to mount Trump’s defense, the sources said. The lawyers had planned to argue the constitutionality of holding a trial given Trump is now a former president.

The disagreements over strategy varied, sources told ABC News, but Trump wanted his team to argue there was election fraud, while the lawyers and some top advisers to the former president wanted the focus to remain on the constitutionality of a trial with the president no longer in office.

A source close to the former president described the change as a "mutual decision" between the parties.

Trump was impeached by the House on Jan. 13 on a single article for "incitement of insurrection" following the violent siege at the U.S. Capitol that left one police officer and four others dead and left members of Congress and their staffs fearing for their lives. The insurrection, which took place Jan. 6, was preceded by a Trump rally when he told his followers to head to the Capitol and repeatedly said they should fight for him.

"The Democrats' efforts to impeach a president who has already left office is totally unconstitutional and so bad for our country. In fact, 45 Senators have already voted that it is unconstitutional. We have done much work, but have not made a final decision on our legal team, which will be made shortly,” Jason Miller, a spokesperson for Trump, told ABC News Saturday.

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[Shipper 13,114]

I love him to lose his retirement please, his security detail and him ever running from future office. 

 

[jacs vs looser 5,122]

Trump really said: My biggest enemy is me. 

I hope that at the very least he gets barred from ever holding office again. 

[rasclautmangos 2,746]

He probably didn't pay them. 

[PartySick 172,486]

Their argument is so stupid. So because Trump is now a private citizen he can't be called to a senate trial despite sending an armed militia of conspiracy freaks to attack the capitol?

Did they forget grilling Hillary Clinton for 11 hours over the Benghazi thing after THEY voted to cut defense funding leading to four deaths after an attack?

Republicans are laughably corrupt

Oh well, at least their admiration of Trump is costing them the sun belt  first Arizona and Georgia, which state are they trying to lose next? 

[MOT 3,605]

Nobody should have to worry at this point if it's constitutional or not. He should have been impeached early in November, as soon as he started abusing his office by spouting about fraud and a stolen election and evil people. Ridiculous that he could do that for two months and stay out of jail, but absolute looney tunes that he could do it and still be president.

[bionic 50,111]

24 minutes ago, PartySick said:

Their argument is so stupid. So because Trump is now a private citizen he can't be called to a senate trial despite sending an armed militia of conspiracy freaks to attack the capitol?

Did they forget grilling Hillary Clinton for 11 hours over the Benghazi thing after THEY voted to cut defense funding leading to four deaths after an attack?

Republicans are laughably corrupt

Oh well, at least their admiration of Trump is costing them the sun belt  first Arizona and Georgia, which state are they trying to lose next? 

There is precedent for a former officeholder being impeached (I think a House Rep), so the argument doesn't have much weight to it

[weed 78,905]

I feel like they chose the "unconstitutional" aspect so it'll get to the Supreme Court and they can help Trump (which I don't even think they would, but Trump's hopes)

[bionic 50,111]

10 minutes ago, weed said:

I feel like they chose the "unconstitutional" aspect so it'll get to the Supreme Court and they can help Trump (which I don't even think they would, but Trump's hopes)

IMO the Constitution is very clear: "The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments."

If the impeachment was constitutional (which it was, as Trump was still in office), then the Senate has a duty to try it. Obviously they can't remove him from office but he can still be convicted/acquitted

[LaLuna 12,732]

Oh, so impeaching a former president for his criminal actions while in office is not constitutional but encouraging a terrorist attack on the Capitol is?

 

 

[JusKeepBreathin 19,311]

1 hour ago, PartySick said:

Their argument is so stupid. So because Trump is now a private citizen he can't be called to a senate trial despite sending an armed militia of conspiracy freaks to attack the capitol?

Did they forget grilling Hillary Clinton for 11 hours over the Benghazi thing after THEY voted to cut defense funding leading to four deaths after an attack?

Republicans are laughably corrupt

Oh well, at least their admiration of Trump is costing them the sun belt  first Arizona and Georgia, which state are they trying to lose next? 

It's a terrible argument and yet somehow better than election fraud. 

That's how bad his defense is. 

[PunkTheFunk 125,703]

Impeaching a former president does open a can of worms though... What if Republicans win the Senate and House and decide to impeach Obama out of spite? What would stop them from doing that?

[Lion Heart 15,041]

On 1/31/2021 at 4:30 PM, PunkTheFunk said:

Impeaching a former president does open a can of worms though... What if Republicans win the Senate and House and decide to impeach Obama out of spite? What would stop them from doing that?

I see your point, but in President Obama's case, he can't run for President again anyways. Succesfully impeaching Trump will prevent him from running for President in 2024. But yes, I can see a situation where the GOP decides to impeach a former Dem President, unless the Supreme Court rules that the Senate can't impeach a former President.

[PartySick 172,486]

2 minutes ago, Lion Heart said:

I see your point, but in President Obama's case, he can't run for President again anyways. Succesfully impeaching Trump will prevent him from running for President in 2024. But yes, I can see a situation where the GOP decides to impeach a former Dem President, unless the Supreme Court rules that the Senate can't impeach a former President.

But let's be real, I don't see the GOP getting a 60+ majority in the senate and a house majority. No Democrat would vote for that, I guarantee plenty of Republicans would vote it down, and there's no grounds for impeachment there anyway.

What are they gonna do? "Barrack HUSSEIN Obama put Dijon mustard on a hamburger once! Impeach him!"