2 hr 4 min ago
Three new lawyers added to Trump’s impeachment defense, boosting team to five
From CNN’s Kara Scannell
Pete Marovich/Pool/Getty Images
With about 10 days until his
second impeachment trial is set to begin, former President Donald Trump added three additional criminal defense lawyers to bring the current team to five attorneys.
Johnny Gasser and Greg Harris, two prominent South Carolina defense lawyers, have agreed to defend Trump along with Joshua Howard, a North Carolina defense lawyer.
“We’re on the team,” Harris confirmed to CNN Friday. CNN previously
reported that Gasser and Harris, law firm partners, had been approached. Harris confirmed the legal team is now five attorneys but declined to comment on whether they will add additional lawyers.
Harris referred questions to Butch Bowers, the South Carolina lawyer who is spearheading the defense.
“He’s putting it together. He’s making assignments,” Harris said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Howard disclosed in a court filing that he had joined Trump’s defense, asking a judge to postpone an arraignment citing his need to be in Washington for the foreseeable future.
“Counsel for the defendant has accepted a position on the defense team handling the pending impeachment trial of former President Trump before the United States Senate. As such, counsel is obliged to spend roughly then next month in Washington, DC focused entirely and exclusively on the matter of historical and Constitutional significance,” he wrote.
Howard and Gasser could not immediately be reached for comment.
Deborah Barbier, a South Carolina litigator, joined the team earlier this week. She has worked closely on several high-profile cases with Harris and Gasser. All three are former federal prosecutors. Gasser served as the interim US attorney for South Carolina earlier in this career.