Trump unhappy, GOP senators 'perplexed' at impeachment lawyers' performance

A number of Republican senators and Donald Trump himself have voiced displeasure with the performance of the former president’s legal team during his impeachment trial.

Trump’s second impeachment trial began in the US Senate on Tuesday over a charge of “incitement of insurrection” after his supporters on Jan. 6 stormed the Capitol, where the lawmakers were busy certifying Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election.

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Two members of Trump’s legal team, Bruce Castor and David Schoen, sought to persuade the Senate to dismiss the trial on constitutional grounds.

However, Republican senators said they were "stunned" and "perplexed" by the legal team, criticizing Castor and Schoen for lacking focus and making “weaker” arguments than the House impeachment managers on the first day of the trial.

“Anyone who listened to those arguments would recognize that the House managers were focused, relied upon and trusted upon the opinion of legal scholars,” said Sen. Bill Cassidy.

“Anyone who listened to President Trump’s legal team saw they were unfocused, they attempted to avoid the issue and they talked about everything but the issue at hand,” Cassidy added.

Senator John Cornyn, a Republican of Texas, also said that “the president’s lawyer just rambled on and on.”

In addition, Ted Cruz, one of Trump’s staunchest allies, said he did not think the lawyers did “the most effective job.”

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska similarly said, “I was really stunned at the first attorney who presented for former President Trump. I couldn't figure out where he was going, spent 45 minutes going somewhere, but I don't think he helped with us better understanding where he was coming from on the constitutionality of this."

Trump himself was dissatisfied with the defense team, particularly with Castor's opening argument on the Senate floor, two people familiar with his reaction told POLITICO.

"President Trump was not happy with the performance of his legal team in action,” said one of the people familiar with his thinking.

He grew “increasingly frustrated” as Castor delivered a meandering argument, including praise for the House impeachment managers for a presentation that he said was "well done."

Castor struggled to get at the heart of the defense team's argument, which was meant to be over the constitutionality of holding a trial for a president no longer in office.

The Senate ultimately voted 56-44 that the impeachment trial is constitutional. Six Republican senators crossed party lines to vote in favor of its constitutionality.

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Castor went on to conclude his opening comments by bizarrely daring the US Justice Department to arrest the former president if the allegations against him were true.

“A high crime is a felony, and a misdemeanor is a misdemeanor,” Castor said. “After he’s out of office, you go and arrest him ... The Department of Justice does know what to do with such people. And so far, I haven’t seen any activity in that direction.”

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