Donald Trump loses five lawyers from legal team days before trial

Five members of Donald Trump’s legal team, including his top impeachment lawyer Butch Bowers have reportedly resigned ahead of his trial.

Bill Bowers has left Donald Trump's legal team.

Five members of Donald Trump’s legal team have reportedly resigned just days before his impeachment trial begins.

CNN reported earlier this afternoon that Butch Bowers, 55, a South Carolina lawyer who was reportedly set to lead the defence of the former president was no longer on the team, and another lawyer, Deborah Barbier had also left.

A source told the broadcaster the decision was “mutual” and said new names would be announced shortly.

The broadcaster now reports that all five of Mr Trump’s lawyers have resigned ahead of Mr Trump’s second impeachment trial on February 8.

Update: ALL FIVE has resigned per @kaitlancollins @GloriaBorger @jeffzeleny #ashleysemler https://t.co/GwEg16V1UF

— Kara Scannell (@KaraScannell) January 31, 2021

The lawyers are: Josh Howard, a North Carolina lawyer who was a recent addition, Johnny Gasser and Greg Harris, who are also from South Carolina.

CNN reported Mr Trump wanted the lawyers to argue that there was mass election fraud and the 2020 election was stolen from him rather than focus on the impeachment charge of inciting insurrection over the Capitol riots of January 6.

The team had been preparing to argue that it was unconstitutional to try a president after he had left office, but CNN reports Mr Trump was “unreceptive” to discussion.

The news raises immediate questions over who will lead Mr Trump’s defence next week.

According to respected New York Times journalist Maggie Haberman, Mr Trump said he could defend himself rather than waste money on lawyers.

And here is a statement Trump has made to advisers almost verbatim > https://t.co/zktWOIrUD6

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 31, 2021

Ms Haberman tweeted that Steve Bannon, Mr Trump’s former chief adviser, was encouraging him to defend himself.

”Bannon, who was talking to Trump ahead of his departure from DC and the day Trump went back and forth on pardoning him, is encouraging him to go to the senate himself. ‘He’s the only one who can sell it,’” she tweeted.

Bannon, who was talking to Trump ahead of his departure from DC and the day Trump went back and forth on pardoning him, is encouraging him to go to the senate himself. “He’s the only one who can sell it.”

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 31, 2021

Mr Trump had had some trouble recruiting lawyers, after the lawyers who defended him in his first impeachment trial, including high profile attorneys Alan Dershowitz, Jay Sekulow and Kenneth Starr, said they would not be part of a team this time around.

Trump adviser Jason Miller tweeted: “We have done much work, but have not made a final decision on our legal team, which will be made shortly,” in response to media reports on the resignations.

Mr Bowers is regarded as a skilled and measured, if low-key lawyer. Political consultant Tim Pearson, who shares office space with Mr Bowers, told NPR he was a “straight shooter.”

“He’s the kind of person that if he was in the president’s ear for the past couple of years, we probably wouldn’t have ended up in this place,” he said.

Solicitor Scarlett Wilson told NPR she had known Ms Barbier for years. “She’s extremely competent, level-headed and cool under pressure,” she said.

Mr Bowers is best known for helping South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford in 2009 when the Republican-led legislature considered impeachment after he admitted lying to aides about hiking the Appalachian Trail when he was in Argentina with his mistress.

Ms Barbier is a former federal prosecutor-turned-defence lawyer who specialises in white-collar crime.

The House officially transmitted the article of impeachment to the Senate on Monday. The trial could have officially begun Tuesday, but Republicans pushed to delay it to give Mr Trump a chance to organise his legal team and prepare a defence.

If convicted, the former president could be barred from holding public office again, ending any hopes of mounting another White House bid in 2024.

However there is little likelihood of conviction, with most Republican senators signalling opposition to his trial.

With just five Republicans joining all 50 Democrats this week in agreeing that the trial should go forward, it appears unlikely that 17 Republicans would vote against Trump, the minimum number needed to reach the two-thirds threshold for conviction.