Former U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly parted ways on Saturday with the two lead lawyers working on his defense for his Senate impeachment trial, a source familiar with the situation said, leaving Trump's legal strategy in disarray.
This report produced by Yahaira Jacquez.
Former President Donald Trump's two lead impeachment lawyers abruptly left his legal defense team on Saturday, less than two weeks away from his upcoming Senate trial.
A source familiar with the situation described the departures of Butch Bowers and Deborah Barberi as a "mutual decision," but it leaves Trump’s legal strategy in disarray, as another source said three other lawyers associated with the team also parted ways with Trump.
A third source said Trump had differences with Bowers over strategy ahead of the trial, as the president clings to his view that he was the victim of mass election fraud in the 2020 election, which President Joe Biden won.
The House of Representatives impeached Trump earlier this month on a charge of "incitement of insurrection," after he encouraged his supporters to "fight" his election defeat just before the deadly Jan.
6 assault on the Capitol.
It was unclear who would now represent the former president at the trial, which starts on Feb.
9.
But with or without a defense team, Trump is unlikely to be convicted at his trial, after 45 Senate Republicans backed a failed effort last week to dismiss the trial altogether.
A two-thirds majority in the 100-member chamber is needed to convict Trump.
