Lawyer Alan Dershowitz said former President Donald Trump‘s impeachment defense team isn’t off to a great start.
The retired Harvard Law School professor who defended Trump in his first impeachment trial last year told Newsmax on Tuesday that he felt attorney Bruce Castor’s opening presentation had “no argument.”
“I have no idea what he’s doing,” he said. “I have no idea why he’s saying what he’s saying.”
“He’s introducing himself: I’m a nice guy. I like my senators. I know my senators. Senators are great people,” Dershowitz added. “Come on. The American people are entitled to an argument, a constitutional argument.”
Trump was impeached by the House last month on one article of inciting an insurrection in connection to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Ten Republican lawmakers joined the Democratic caucus in voting for the impeachment, which Trump’s legal team argues is unconstitutional because he is no longer in office.
Castor’s opening statement has been the target of widespread ridicule on social media.
“I am…not following this argument,” wrote CBS reporter Caitlin Huey-Burns.
I am…not following this argument
— Caitlin Huey-Burns (@CHueyBurns) February 9, 2021
David French, legal commentator and senior editor for the Dispatch, said, “It seems like Castor’s chief purpose thus far is to demonstrate that he could just say ‘LOL nothing matters,’ sit down, and still expect GOP senators to acquit — because a failed politician (Herbert Hoover, if Hoover was a deranged conspiracy theorist) said so.”
It seems like Castor’s chief purpose thus far is to demonstrate that he could just say “LOL nothing matters,” sit down, and still expect GOP senators to acquit — because a failed politician (Herbert Hoover, if Hoover was a deranged conspiracy theorist) said so.
— David French (@DavidAFrench) February 9, 2021
Historian Kevin Kruse tweeted, “Bruce Castor is definitely going to give a tight five minutes on ‘what’s the deal with airline food?'”
Bruce Castor is definitely going to give a tight five minutes on “what’s the deal with airline food?”
— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) February 9, 2021
Referencing an article from the Washington Examiner that referenced Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro recommending that the former president fire Castor in favor of Rep. Matt Gaetz, Politico reporter Tara Palmeri said she was hearing reports that Trump was “pissed.”
“Already calls to dump Trump’s lawyers,” she tweeted on Tuesday afternoon.
Already calls to dump Trump’s lawyers – hearing Trump is “pissed” https://t.co/kcox4U85LZ
— Tara Palmeri (@tarapalmeri) February 9, 2021
Dershowitz added that he felt the House impeachment managers had made “very strong presentations.”
“Maybe he’ll bring it home, but right now, it does not appear to me to be effective advocacy,” he said of Castor. “Boy, it’s not the kind of argument I would’ve made. I have to tell you that.”
In an interview with the Boston Globe in mid-January, Dershowitz said he would not be representing the now-former president in his trial. He told the outlet that he believes former presidents cannot be subject to the impeachment process.
“This is political theater, and I’m neither a politician or an actor,” he said. “So I don’t see a role for a real lawyer to play in this show trial.”
Castor and David Schoen were added to Trump’s impeachment team less than 10 days ago after two other attorneys parted ways with the former president.
‘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
