‘My Cousin Vinny’: Donald Trump legal team takes a hammering

Donald Trump’s impeachment lawyers have been ridiculed after a bewildering debut performance before the US Senate.

Donald Trump’s lawyers David Schoen, left, and Bruce Castor faced heavy criticism for their handling of the case. Picture: AFP

Donald Trump’s impeachment lawyers have been ridiculed after a bewildering and contradictory debut performance before the US Senate.

Recruited just 10 days ago to defend him against charges of inciting his followers to attack the US Capitol, David Schoen and Bruce Castor were compared to the Three Stooges and, in a very low dig in the legal community, to the incompetent lawyer played by Joe Pesci in the comedy My Cousin Vinny. Alan Dershowitz, who defended Mr Trump in his first impeachment trial a year ago, said he could not understand what Mr Castor wanted to achieve in his meandering opening argument.

“There is no argument. I have no idea what he’s doing. I have no idea why he’s saying what he’s saying,” the celebrity lawyer said on Newsmax.

“Castor and Schoen must be the most incompetent legal representation of any modern president, incumbent or otherwise,” tweeted Michael Beschloss, a historian of the presidency. “By the time Castor and Schoen are finished, the House will probably demand to impeach (Trump) a third time.”

With Mr Trump facing the deeply serious charge of supporting insurrection, Mr Castor hardly touched the subject.

Instead he spoke of loving one’s elected representatives, said impeachment was unnecessary because voters elected Joe Biden, and suggested Mr Trump’s behaviour was more comparable to manslaughter than murder.

And, coming after a Democratic prosecutor effectively obliterated the Trump team’s claim that the trial was unconstitutional, Mr Castor stunningly threw in the towel. “We changed what we were going to do on account that we thought the House impeachment managers’ presentation was well done,” he said. That augurs difficult days ahead.

Mr Schoen and Mr Castor signed with Mr Trump after he split with his original, more experienced team — and reportedly had trouble finding replacements.

AFP