An impeachment lawyer for Donald Trump sued the former president in the run-up to the 2020 election — and in a separate case described him as a “f—ing crook.”
In a lawsuit filed in August, Pennsylvania lawyer Michael T. van der Veen accused Trump of claiming mail-in voting was “ripe with fraud” despite having “no evidence in support of these claims.” He charged that Trump’s voter fraud claims and 11th-hour changes to the U.S. Postal Service would suppress votes.
Emails from van der Veen’s firm at the time lambasted Trump and Pennsylvania Republicans for their attempts to “unfairly and illegally intimidate voters.”
“Donald Trump doesn’t want you to be able to vote,” said one Aug. 20 email from van der Veen’s firm, according to one report. “It’s time to stand up for what’s right.”
Van der Veen’s former client, 24-year old Haverford College student Justin Hiemstra, was charged in 2019 with an attempt to steal Trump’s tax returns. Another lawyer aiding Trump’s defense, William J. Brennan, represented Hiemstra’s co-defendant in the case.
Trump has struggled to find defense lawyers for his Senate trial.
Butch Bowers and Deborah Barbier, a pair of South Carolina lawyers recommended by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, withdrew nine days before the trial began.
The president’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, said he could not defend Trump because he participated in the events leading up to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, which prompted House Democrats to pass an article of impeachment accusing the then-president of inciting an insurrection.
Now, Trump’s legal defense is led by Alabama lawyer David Schoen; and Bruce Castor, who came recommended by his cousin, Stephen Castor, the lead House Republican lawyer during Trump’s first impeachment. Bruce Castor joined van der Veen’s firm in December.
Trump’s legal team argued on Tuesday that the impeachment case is a bid to undermine his First Amendment rights and said the trial of a former president is unconstitutional.
Castor’s meandering performance on the first day of the trial was panned on Tuesday by Republican senators and others, including Alan Dershowitz.
Reports claimed Trump was furious. On a scale of one to 10, Trump’s anger was described as being “an eight.”
After the first day of proceedings, six Republicans joined with Democrats and two independents voting to continue because they concluded the Senate possesses the Constitutional authority to try a former president.
After the election, Trump sought for months to overturn the results through a slew of legal filings and by pressuring Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. He also tried to convince Vice President Mike Pence to vote against certifying Joe Biden as the next president.
But the move to impeach him came after pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 amid the Electoral College vote certification process. Ten House Republican lawmakers joined the Democratic caucus in voting to impeach Trump for inciting an insurrection.
