Donald Trump spoke to a crowd before boarding Air Force One on January 20th.
Photo:
Luis M. Alvarez / Associated Press
Two lawyers leading the defense of former President Donald Trump in his removal from the Senate have left the legal team a little over a week before the trial is scheduled to begin, according to a person familiar with the matter .
Butch Bowers and Deborah Barbier, two South Carolina lawyers, no longer plan to represent Mr. Trump, the person said Saturday. The decision was mutual, said the person, who declined to give a reason for the departures.
The exits leave Trump in a difficult position, with the trial open on February 8th.
CNN previously reported the departures.
The Democratic-led House in January voted to oust Trump for a second time, alleging that it encouraged a crowd to storm Congress to prevent lawmakers from certifying President Biden’s election victory. While 10 Republicans joined Democrats to vote to accuse Mr. Trump in the House, Democrats in the Senate are more likely to convince 17 Republicans to join them in voting to condemn.
Trump has not taken any responsibility for the Capitol riot and has denied the offense.
Trump faces a more complicated path to building a defense team than he did in his first indictment trial, when he had the White House attorney’s office and a robust personal legal team behind him. His personal lawyers, Jay Sekulow, Jane Raskin and Marty Raskin, made it clear in private that they had no plans to defend him a second time, according to people who knew the matter, as did former White House councilor Pat Cipollone and his deputy, Pat Philbin. .
Write to Rebecca Ballhaus to [email protected]
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