Former President Donald Trump’s impeachment defense lawyer Bruce Castor Jr. got mocked from all sides of the political aisle Tuesday during his opening statement.
Castor, who is part of a last-minute impeachment team, delivered a lengthy, rambling statement where he argued that trying to impeach Trump a second time was partisan and based on emotions. Trump is being impeached on on one article of “incitement of insurrection” after some of his supporters stormed and rioted at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
The lawyer’s speech appeared to draw a similar response from both conservatives and liberals – many were confused throughout.
Lawyer Alan Dershowitz, who represented Trump during his first Senate impeachment trial in 2020, expressed pure shock at Castor’s argument during a segment on Newsmax.
“There is no argument,” Dershowitz said. “I have no idea what he’s [Castor] doing. I have no idea why he’s saying what he’s saying.”
Dershowitz continued on to say that “the American people are entitled to an argument, a Constitutional argument.” Dershowitz also noted that Castor’s opening statement fell short when compared to the “very strong presentations” from the House managers and others.
WATCH:
‘There is no argument – I have no idea what he is doing,’ @AlanDersh on Trump’s defense lawyer Bruce Castor ‘talking nice’ to U.S. Senators – via Newsmax TV’s ‘American Agenda.’ https://t.co/VlT7z8drtO pic.twitter.com/7P7uVk5X19
— Newsmax (@newsmax) February 9, 2021
Trump’s former impeachment lawyer wasn’t the only one to point out that House managers did well. Castor himself noted that their team “changed what we were going to do on account that we thought that the House managers’ presentation was well done.”
Washington Examiner reporter Emily Brooks responded wondering “how is this real” in regards to Castor’s open praise of the House managers. (RELATED: ‘Intellectual Dishonesty And Factual Vacuity’: Trump Lawyers Rip Impeachment Effort)
“There are over 1.33 million lawyers in the United States, according to the American Bar Association,” Forbes reporter Andrew Solender tweeted before joking that “Castor may have actually united the country.”
Just waiting for Trump to twee—
— Caleb Hull (I’m With the CCP Don’t Ban Me) (@CalebJHull) February 9, 2021
“I hire the best people and leave them alone to work.” – Trump
????
— Mike Cernovich (@Cernovich) February 9, 2021
I mean we knew it was gonna be bad but oooowfff.
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) February 9, 2021
Townhall political editor and Fox News contributor Guy Benson noted during the opening statement that Castor had “not been terribly compelling thus far,” but reminded readers that “he just joined the defense effort recently because the previous defense team all quit.”
Meanwhile, CNN’s Chris Cillizza used a recently-viral meme of singer The Weeknd’s Super Bowl halftime show to show his confusion. The Washington Post’s White House reporter Seung Min Kim speculated that if Trump had his Twitter account, he might “Tweet-fire this lawyer on the spot.”
Even some Republican lawmakers were not impressed by Castor, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jonathan Tamari.
“I’ve seen a lot of lawyers and a lot of arguments and that was, that was not one of the finest I’ve seen,” Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn said according to a pool report.
