Former President Donald Trump lost his top impeachment lawyers with just over a week to go before the Senate trial, which is expected to result in acquittal, according to sources familiar with the situation. Meanwhile, Jacob Chansley, the “QAnon Shaman”, offered to testify in the next proceedings.
Two unidentified people familiar with the matter told the Associated Press on Saturday that South Carolina lawyers Butch Bowers and Deborah Barbier left Trump’s impeachment legal team. One of the sources described his departure as a “mutual decision” that was caused by differing opinions about the treatment of the case.
A source said that two former South Carolina federal prosecutors, Greg Harris and Johnny Gasser, are also no longer part of Trump’s defense team. Another source said his replacements would be announced in the next few days.
Both sources requested anonymity, as they were not authorized to discuss the private exchanges of the legal team.
Pete Marovich / Getty
In a statement on Saturday, Trump adviser Jason Miller said, “We have done a lot of work, but we have not made a final decision about our legal team, which will be made soon.”
Newsweek contacted Trump representatives for comment. This story will be updated with any answer.
Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a staunch ally of Trump, first announced that Bowers would join the legal team earlier this month. “I think Butch Bowers will be the type of anchor tenant,” said Graham.
This week, Albert Watkins, Chansley’s lawyer – who faces multiple charges for breaking into the United States Capitol on January 6 while wearing a furry horned hat, face paint and shirtless – offered to his client to testify. Watkins revealed that Chansley believes that Trump betrayed him by refusing his request for forgiveness.
Graham warned against allowing Chansley, aka Jake Angeli, to testify at Trump’s second impeachment trial. The Republican senator had previously criticized the House for impeaching Trump without any witnesses, but on Friday he said allowing Chansley to testify could turn the trial into a “complete circus” that could “last for months”.
In a telephone interview with Newsweek, Watkins said Chansley realizes he was “made a fool of” by the former president. “If there is going to be anything more than a circus procedure with clowns doing somersaults during the impeachment process, someone who has been incited to testify needs to testify,” added the lawyer.
The House voted 232-197 for Trump’s impeachment on January 13, accusing him of “inciting” the insurrection for his alleged role in the deadly Capitol revolt on January 6.
On Tuesday, Senate Republicans voted overwhelmingly against allowing an impeachment trial in a 55-45 procedural vote. Seventeen Republicans in the upper house will need to cross party lines and vote with Democrats to condemn Trump, but only five supported the trial.
“It’s still in progress, but I think [Tuesday’s] the vote in the Senate floor shows that President Trump is extremely unlikely to be convicted, “Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine told reporters on Wednesday.
Despite little chance of a conviction, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer confirmed that the impeachment trial will begin in the second week of February.