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Donald Trump needs new legal aid
Photo: MANDEL NGAN / AFP
On February 9, the impeachment trial against Donald Trump begins in the US Senate, and the former US President now has to look for new lawyers at short notice.
Five defense lawyers ended cooperation with Trump, as the broadcaster CNN and other US media reported on Saturday.
Among them are the two lawyers Butch Bowers and Deborah Barbier, who should have headed Trump's defense in the Senate.
Accusation: "incitement to riot"
According to CNN information, Trump had insisted that his lawyers focus the impeachment proceedings on the unsubstantiated election fraud allegations he has been making for months.
Trump opposed the advice of lawyers to focus on the question of whether it is lawful to prosecute a president after the end of his term in office.
The final decision on the composition of Trump's legal team will be made shortly, his advisor Jason Miller said after the reports were published on Twitter.
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Representatives of the House of Representatives had formally filed the indictment against Trump in the Senate last Monday for "inciting riot".
If found guilty, the chamber could forbid Trump to run for president again.
The first president, against whom an impeachment is initiated for the second time
The Republican is accused of inciting his supporters to storm the Capitol in Washington on January 6th.
A two-thirds majority would be required for a guilty verdict against Trump.
In addition to the 50 Democratic Senators, at least 17 Republicans would have to vote for a conviction.
It is currently unlikely that a two-thirds majority will be achieved.
Trump is the first president in US history to face impeachment for the second time.
The first impeachment proceedings against him for his efforts to get campaign support from Ukraine failed in February 2020.
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