PoliticoTrump loses top impeachment lawyer days before Senate trial set to begin

The departure of South Carolina lawyer Butch Bowers and his colleague Deborah Barbier raises questions about who will represent Trump

The former US president has had difficulty finding legal help for his second impeachment, with some lawyers he used previously now distancing themselves

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Donald Trump, the former US president, gestures as he and his wife Melania leave the White House for the last time earlier this month. Photo: Reuters

Published: 9:58am, 31 Jan 2021Updated: 7:06pm, 31 Jan 2021

Donald Trump has lost his top impeachment lawyer just days before the former US president’s trial is to begin, a person familiar with his legal strategy confirmed on Saturday night.

Butch Bowers, a South Carolina lawyer who was reportedly set to play a major role in the Senate’s trial of the ex-president, is now no longer with the team. Deborah Barbier, another South Carolina lawyer, will not be either. The person described it as a “mutual decision” and said new names will be announced soon.

The decision by Bowers and Barbier to not join the team raised immediate questions, both about what compelled them to part ways and who actually will play the role of lawyer to Trump when the impeachment trial starts in early February.

Trump has had difficulty finding legal help for his second impeachment, with some of the lawyers who worked on his first trial saying they would not do the same this go around.

South Carolina lawyer Butch Bowers pictured in 2009. Photo: AP

Bowers’ hiring was first announced by Trump ally and South Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham. A long-time Republican lawyer, Bowers represented former South Carolina Governors Mark Sanford and Nikki Haley, and had experience in election law.