Less than two weeks before his second impeachment trial, former President Trump has broken away from two key members of his legal team. South Carolina Attorney Butch Bowers, who was expected to be the lead attorney, and Deborah Barbier are no longer part of his team, Trump spokesman Jason Miller said Saturday night.
“The Democrats’ efforts to accuse 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 a lot of work, but we have not made a final decision. to our legal team, which will be created soon, ”Miller said.
A Trump adviser told CBS News that the decision was mutual. CBS News has contacted Bowers and Barbier to comment.
CNN, which first reported the news, also said three other lawyers have left the legal team.
Trump’s second impeachment trial will begin on February 9th. The House challenged Trump on Jan. 13 on a charge of inciting insurrection. A week earlier, Mr. Trump had encouraged his supporters to “fight like hell” to prevent Congress from counting the votes of the Electoral College, the last step in affirming President Joe Biden’s victory. A crowd of his supporters stormed the United States Capitol, sending lawmakers to flee and delaying the count for nearly six hours. Five people died in the melee.
Trump’s attorney, Rudy Giuliani, who was a public figure in the former president’s unsuccessful battle to overthrow the election results, said he would not be part of Trump’s legal removal team because he was in the rally. “Due to the fact that I can testify, the rules of legal ethics would prohibit me from representing the president as a trial attorney in the removal process,” Giuliani told CBS News on Jan. 18.
The star lawyers of Mr. Trump from his first indictment trial, including Trump’s longtime lawyer Jay Sekulow and former White House counsel Pat Cipollone, is not defending him this time. Cipollone, in particular, was one of the White House officials whom a group of Republican senators called after the assault to convince them to stay until Trump left office, a Jan. 7 report said. assistant to Senator Mike Lee.
When asked who would represent Mr. Trump, Miller said the team is likely to make an announcement “in the next two days.”
Senator Lindsey Graham announced last week that Bowers, a powerful Columbia lawyer with an impressive track record of supporting Republican politicians, would be the “main anchor” of Trump’s defense team. Miller confirmed that Bowers would join the team in a tweet on January 21st.
Bowers represented former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford when the legislature considered accusing him after admitting to lying to aides about Appalachian hiking when he was actually with his mistress in the ‘Argentina. Sanford was finally censored.
Bowers also represented Trump’s ally, Nikki Haley, when he faced ethical charges of illegal pressure while he was still in the South Carolina legislature. Haley was authorized in this investigation.
According to its directories, Bowers is a member of the South Carolina Bar and the District of Columbia Bar. Bowers previously told the South Carolina Post and Courier that he is waiting “eager to represent the former president.”
Barbier, who runs a small business in Columbia, joined the legal team earlier this week, according to the South Carolina Post-Courier. Perhaps in his most notable case, Barbier defended Joey Meeks, a friend of shooter Emanuel AME Dylann Roof. Meeks, who pleaded guilty to telling other people not to share with authorities that Roof was behind the massacre, was sentenced to 27 months in prison, according to the Post-Courier.
Barbier also defended a powerful South Carolina political agent accused in 2017 of conspiracy and illegal lobbying at the state house, the Post-Courier reported. This case was withdrawn.
Kathryn Watson contributed to this report.