Trump attorneys condemn impeachment trial citing free speech protections, lack of due process

David Schoen, left, and Bruce Castor Jr., center, lawyers for former President Donald Trump, left, arrives for the second impeachment trial of Trump in the Senate, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, Pool)

The fight is on between President Trump and Democrat lawmakers who are seeking to quell his chance at a political comeback. On Tuesday, Bruce Castor Jr. and David Schoen defended the 45th president on the first day of his impeachment trial.

Castor kicked off the defense’s arguments by claiming Trump’s remarks at the January 6 protest were “political speech,” thus protected by the First Amendment. However, he noted several of the suspects connected to the violence are facing conspiracy charges that have nothing to do with President Trump.

“Is this trial is about is about trading liberty for the security from the mob?” asked Castor Jr. “Honestly, no, it can’t be. We can’t be thinking about that. We can’t possibly be suggesting that we punish people for political speech in this country.”

The attorney then urged Democrats to trust the American political system and not to interfere with the will of the American people.

Meanwhile, David Schoen derided House impeachment managers for the lack of due process in which the articles of impeachment were brought forward. He noted the House never established jurisdiction as they voted to impeach President Trump one week after the events without conducting a thorough investigation.

Additionally, Schoen stressed this and the fact that Trump is now a private citizen should warrant the dismissal of the articles.

“This is nothing less than the political weaponization of the impeachment process, pure raw sport fueled by the misguided idea of party over country when, in fact, both will surely suffer,” he stated. “I can promise you that if these proceedings go forward, everyone will look bad.”

Schoen then warned Democrats against pushing to convict President Trump by pointing out the implications could affect millions of Americans.

“With this trial, you will open up new and bigger wounds across the nation for a great many Americans see this process for exactly what it is: a chance by a group of partisan politicians seeking to eliminate Donald Trump from the American political scene and seeking to disenfranchise 74 million plus American voters,” he explained.

Meanwhile, the Senate decided to continue the impeachment trial following a 56-to-44 vote deeming the proceedings constitutional. Six members of the GOP sided with Democrats, including Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse and Utah Senator Mitt Romney.

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