Lawyers representing Donald Trump are facing fierce ridicule over a series of mistakes made in their initial records in defense of the former president in his impeachment trial.
On Tuesday, attorneys David Schoen and Bruce Castor responded to the House’s request that Trump incited the Capitol insurrection on January 6 and argued that he should not face impeachment now that he is out of office.
However, it was a series of typos that became a major point of discussion after astute readers quickly realized an error in the first lines of the documents’ speech to the United States Senate.
The request, which is intended to address members of the United States Senate, instead misspells recipients as members of the “United States”.
Donald Trump’s Office
Trump’s legal team has also repeated its baseless claims that the 2020 election was “stolen” from him, saying the former president continues to “express his belief that the election results were suspect”.
“There is insufficient evidence on which a reasonable lawyer could conclude that the 45th president’s statements were accurate or not, and he therefore denies that they were false,” says the defense document.
The lawyers further argue that the constitution “requires a person to actually be in office to be impeached” and that Trump was exercising his First Amendment right to question the election results.
Further down the line, a second misspelling of “United States” is made, leading those on social media to scoff at the authors of the legal document.
“The ‘United States Senate’ – the largest decision-making body in the world,” tweeted CNN anchor Jim Sciutto.
“Trump’s lawyers mistakenly write ‘United States’ at the beginning and, somehow, things only get worse and more amateurish from there,” added Democratic Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia.
“Trump’s formal response to his impeachment starts by spelling ‘United States’ incorrectly. Things get worse from there, “joked journalist and lawyer Judd Legum.
Washington Post national correspondent Philip Bump also participated in the roasting. “If you’re curious about the real substance of the document, it’s of the same quality,” Bump replied, linking to his analysis of Trump’s defense.
Brendan Smialowski / Getty
Trump’s lawyers incorrectly spell “United States” at first, and somehow it just gets worse and more amateurish from there. https://t.co/MyLwLRjG5y
– Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) February 2, 2021
Trump’s legal defense comes in response to a request made by House of Representatives lawmakers on Tuesday morning.
“In a painful betrayal of his oath of office, President Trump incited a violent crowd to attack the United States Capitol during the joint session, thereby preventing Congressional confirmation of Joseph R. Biden Jr. as the winner of the presidential election.” , filing reads.
House legislators said Trump’s responsibility for the January 6 events “is unmistakable.”
“Examining the tense crowd in front of him, President Trump drove her into a frenzy, urging followers to ‘fight like hell [or] you will no longer have a country. ‘Then he pointed them directly at the Capitol, declaring:’ You will never have our country back with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong. ‘”
Lawmakers wrote that it is “impossible” to imagine the January 6 events taking place without President Trump “creating a powder keg, striking a match and then seeking personal advantage in the ensuing destruction”.
The trial summary quotes Congresswoman Liz Cheney, the president of the House Republican Conference, who said that Trump “summoned this mob, gathered the mob and lit the flame for this attack. Everything that followed was his work. None of this would have happened without the president. The president could have intervened immediately and vigorously to prevent the violence. He did not. “
Five people, including a Capitol police officer, died during the January 6 attack, which unfolded shortly after Trump gathered a furious and mocking crowd.
Inside the Capitol, members of Congress were meeting with then Vice President Mike Pence to certify the election results when the pro-Trump crowd stormed the building, breaking windows, vandalizing properties and forcing those inside to flee.
Days after the attack, Trump said his comments were “entirely appropriate” and denied any responsibility for the violence.
On January 11, the Democratic-led House of Representatives advanced with Trump’s impeachment a second time, formally accusing him of inciting violence against the government by challenging the election results.
“[Trump] it threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power and endangered a coordinated branch of government, “says the impeachment article.” He thus betrayed his confidence as president, to the evident detriment of the people of the United States. “
The Senate leadership agreed to postpone Trump’s impeachment trial until the week of February 8, giving President Joe Biden time to start his legislative agenda and space for legal teams to prepare their arguments.
“The January 6 uprising on Capitol Hill prompted by Donald J. Trump was a day that none of us will ever forget,” said Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer during a plenary speech. “We all want to leave this terrible chapter of our nation’s history behind. And healing and unity will only come if there is truth and responsibility, and that is what this path will provide us.”
Newsweek contacted Donald Trump’s lawyers for comment.