- A Trump lawyer was heard saying to colleagues, “We are going to Disney World!” after the ex-president’s acquittal.
- Lawyer Michael van der Veen was a key member of Trump’s legal team in his second impeachment trial.
- On Friday, van der Veen’s house was vandalized, with the word “TRAITOR” painted in his garage.
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One of Donald Trump’s lawyers reportedly said he was “going to Disney World” after the Senate acquitted the former president after an impeachment trial over the Capitol siege.
Trump was acquitted on Saturday after a contentious impeachment trial over the deadly encirclement of the Capitol on January 6, the second time he was accused of impeachment, and his second acquittal.
57 senators voted to condemn the former president on charges of inciting the siege-related insurrection, while 43 voted for absolution. The U.S. Senate needed a two-thirds majority to condemn the former president, but it fell short of that mark, paving the way for Trump to run again in the future.
Trump’s legal team was understandably pleased with the outcome – although more senators voted to condemn the former president than to acquit him – with members being seen hugging, smiling and clapping each other after the acquittal was confirmed.
“He had a good day in court today. He was justified. He was found innocent. The political witch hunt that they did that the Democrats had launched against him was defeated, so he must be very satisfied,” said van der Veen , according to CNN.
According to USA Today reporter Christal Hayes, boarding the Capitol’s internal subway system after the trial, van der Veen was heard saying to other members of Trump’s legal team, “We’re going to Disney World!”
—Christal Hayes (@Journo_Christal) February 13, 2021
Van der Veen’s comment about going to Disney World was probably a reference to a statement frequently made by Super Bowl winning quarterbacks, who often visit Florida’s theme park in the days after winning football’s biggest prize.
Whether Trump’s legal team plans to visit Disney World or not, remains to be seen. If they do, they will find a park that has been greatly altered for the days before the pandemic, with mandatory use of masks, many closed attractions and social distance.
‘TRAIDOR’: Van der Veen’s house vandalized
Michael van der Veen’s driveway was vandalized.
Screenshot / CBS Philly
The previous Saturday, it was reported that van der Veen’s home in Philadelphia had been vandalized during the course of Friday, with the word “TRAITOR” spray-painted on his sidewalk and the windows on his property broken.
“My home was attacked. I prefer not to go into it. To answer your question, my entire family, my business, my law firm are under siege now,” said van der Veen, as reported by CNN.
According to CBS Philly, local police detective Scott Pezick said van der Veen’s home is now being watched by private security guards.
He added that “we have shown a police presence to prevent anything from happening”.