With less than two weeks before his second impeachment trial, former President Donald Trump has suddenly been left without a legal defense team after five key attorneys decided to quit.
The biggest name to leave the team was Butch Bowers, who was the lead lawyer on the team. The decision for Bowers to leave is being described as “mutual” as he apparently never clicked with Trump. One thing the former president never really liked was how Bowers was not fond of going on television to defend him, according to multiple reports.
Deborah Barbier, another lawyer from South Carolina who was a top member of the defense team has also left. Two other lawyers from South Carolina, Johnny Gasser and Greg Harris, are also stepping down from the team as is Josh Howard, a lawyer from North Carolina.
Trump spokesperson Jason Miller did not directly address the lawyers’ exodus, attacking Democrats instead.
“The Democrats’ efforts to impeach a president who has already left office is totally unconstitutional and so bad for our country,” Miller told Politico. “In fact, 45 Senators have already voted that is unconstitutional. We have done much work, but have not made a final decision on our legal team, which will be made shortly,” he said.
The lawyers reportedly parted ways with Trump over disagreements about strategy, with the ex-president insisting that his lawyers focus on baseless claims of voter fraud and push the lie that the election was stolen from him. His lawyers reportedly wanted to focus instead on whether it was even legal to convict a president after he has left office.