Defence counsel says Donald Trump’s impeachment trial ‘will tear country apart’
9 February 2021, 21:54
David Schoen said the process was unconstitutional.
A lawyer for Donald Trump argued that the former president’s impeachment trial should be dismissed, both because it is unconstitutional and because it will “tear this country apart”.
David Schoen said that Democrats are fuelled by a “hatred” of Mr Trump and fear that they will lose power.
He said, if the trial moves forward, it will make “everyone” look bad and other countries that wish the US harm will watch with “glee”.
Mr Trump was impeached on a count of incitement of insurrection over the January 6 Capitol riot by a mob of his supporters.
Both sides were debating the trial’s constitutionality on Tuesday, and the debate will be followed by a vote to dismiss the case, which is expected to fail.
Mr Trump’s team is arguing that the trial is not constitutional because Mr Trump is out of office.
Democrats, citing legal scholars and precedent from a secretary of war’s 1876 impeachment, have detailed both the historical precedent and the violence of the rioting to argue that it is constitutional.
Mr Trump was impeached one week before he left office and one week after he told his supporters to “fight like hell” before they laid siege on the Capitol.
The rioting resulted in five deaths.
