The performance of Donald Trump’s legal team on the first day of his second impeachment trial drew harsh criticism from Republican senators and other viewers, many of whom seemed impressed by the sometimes rambling and inconsistent opening statements.
Two members of the former president’s legal team, Bruce Castor and David Schoen, sought on Tuesday to persuade the Senate to end the trial on constitutional grounds. Castor’s performance, in particular, drew criticism as faltering and unfocused.
Several Republican senators said they did not understand the lawyers’ arguments. Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, who voted with Democrats to move forward with the trial, said the Trump team did a “terrible job” and was “disorganized”, “random” and “did everything it could, except to speak on the issue at hand “.
Cassidy was not the only Republican who did not like Trump’s defense team.
Susan Collins, a Republican senator from Maine, said she was “baffled” by Castor, who is Trump’s top lawyer, saying that “she didn’t seem to be making any arguments, which was an unusual approach.”
“The president’s attorney kept talking,” said Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas. “I have seen many lawyers and many discussions, and this was not one of the best I have seen.”
Texas Senator Ted Cruz, one of Trump’s staunchest allies, said he did not think the lawyers did “the most effective job” when praising Maryland representative Jamie Raskin, who is serving as the Democrats’ chief prosecutor, as “impressive.” “.
Cornyn and Cruz even voted to reject the trial, along with 42 other Republican senators. Six Republicans, including Cassidy and Collins, voted with Democrats to advance the trial.
Trump himself would also be unhappy with the display of his lawyers. The Politico reported that sources close to the ex-president say that he was “increasingly frustrated” to see the day unfold. Other media, including CBS and CNN, also reported that the president was disappointed, according to sources.
Per @MajorCBS, “Two sources familiar with the ex-president’s reaction to today’s Senate proceedings described Trump as furious at his lawyers’ mediocre performance. One source said the president” did not seem satisfied “in calls with close associates.
– Doug Sovern (@SovernNation) February 9, 2021
Several people have told me that Trump was basically screaming while Castor was making a winding initial argument that was struggling to get to the heart of the defense team’s argument.
– Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) February 9, 2021
On the opening day of the trial, Raskin delivered an emotional speech that related his personal experience in the attack on the Capitol, describing how his daughter and son-in-law were in an office on the Capitol and hid under a table, where they sent what they thought were theirs. final texts. In the midst of tears, Raskin said, “This cannot be America’s future.”
Castor opened his sinuous presentation by praising senators as “patriots” and mentioning that he still gets lost on Capitol Hill. The speech included cryptic verses like “Nebraska, you will hear, it is a very judicial place of thought”. He spoke for 20 minutes before addressing the January 6 uprising and did not directly address the president’s actions that day or argue against the constitutionality of the impeachment trial.
Castor concluded his opening remarks by bizarrely challenging the justice department to arrest Trump if the allegations at the heart of the impeachment trial were true.
“A serious crime is a crime, and a misdemeanor is a misdemeanor,” said Castor. “After he leaves office, you will arrest him … The Department of Justice knows what to do with these people. And so far, I haven’t seen any activity in that direction. “
Maggie Haberman of the New York Times said a Trump adviser defended performance as a “deliberative strategy” designed to distract attention from Raskin’s emotional presentation – although critics have pointed out that a master strategist would not need to make a statement explaining his strategy .
It was a performance that left many observers confused, with some reporters comparing the lawyer to a college student who didn’t read before class, joking that Castor would be fired by tweet if Trump still had access to his Twitter account.
I’ve been to this government class before, where someone didn’t read, dozed off during the first half of the class, was called and only riffs for 15 minutes.
– Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) February 9, 2021
If Trump still had his Twitter account, he could fire that Twitter lawyer on the spot.
– Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) February 9, 2021
Alan Dershowitz, who served as a member of Donald Trump’s defense team during his first impeachment trial, seemed less than impressed by Castor’s disjointed presentation.
“There is no argument. I have no idea what he’s doing, ”Dershowitz told the conservative Newsmax newspaper. “I have no idea why he is saying what he is saying.”
The Associated Press contributed reporting