Attorneys for former President Donald Trump criticized congressional Democrats’ attempt to impeach him in a brief filed Feb. 8.
Bruce Castor and David Schoen, who are representing Trump, have already said that they will argue that the impeachment drive, which began shortly after the Jan. 6 Capitol Riot, is unconstitutional because Trump is no longer in office. Trump is charged with “inciting violence against the Government of the United States.” (RELATED: POLL: 52% Of Americans Support Convicting Donald Trump)
Castor and Schoen were joined in the brief by Michael T. van der Veen, a Philadelphia-area criminal defense and personal injury lawyer. Castor is known for his decision to decline a sexual assault prosecution of Bill Cosby, while Schoen represented Roger Stone in the political operative’s appeal of multiple convictions.
Lawyer added to former Pres. Trump’s legal defense team: Michael T. van der Veen. He joins Bruce Castor and David Schoen in defending Trump in the Senate impeachment trial this week.
— Monica Alba (@albamonica) February 8, 2021
The lawyers further argue that the Article of Impeachment violates Trump’s First Amendment rights because all of his comments should be considered legally protected political speech. “The only reference to force was in taking pride in his administration’s creation of the Space Force,” they write.
They further attribute the impeachment to “Democrats’ fevered hatred for Citizen Trump and their ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome.'” Castor, Schoen, and van der Veen claim that the impeachment only demonstrates “the intellectual dishonesty and factual vacuity” of House Democrats.