Donald Trump reportedly can’t find and keep a defense team for his second impeachment trial to save his life, and as it turns out it seems to be just as much about him being a cheap rat as it does him being a crooked rat.
Reports have claimed that the former president has raised a staggering $170 million from his supporters that could absolutely be utilized to pay a legal team to defend him in the upcoming impeachment trial. But according to a new report from Independent, Trump’s legal team has flown the coop because the former president couldn’t shut up and quit bickering about the fees he was willing to (or, rather, unwilling) fork over for their services.
Previous reports have indicated that Trump lost his impeachment defense team because they weren’t interested in defending or arguing his debunked conspiracy theories about an election rigged against him — a theory that the former, disgraced president still very much clings to, to this day.
However, Axios reports that a series of tense phone calls featured Trump in a haggle with his top attorney Butch Bowers over fees to be paid to the attorney for his representation in the trial. The report claims that Trump, who’s notorious for being a cheap flake who rarely ever settles his bills, was at first “delighted” when he agreed on a $250,000 fee for Mr. Bowers’ defense services.
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But apparently Donald wasn’t aware that Bowers’ quote didn’t include additional fees such as other attorneys who would be assisting on the case, research, and various other legal fees associated with the case. Aparently, Trump lost his cool when his top attorney gave him a total quote of $3 million. The report claims that, after an additional call, Trump haggled Bowers down to $1 million.
Trump allegedly felt that the fees were far too steep for a trial that he thinks will be a breeze, as many Republicans have already voted for a resolution in lieu of an impeachment trial.
Axios goes on to report that Trump and his advisers already had plans to hire a seperate audio and video team, a rapid response team, and a legislative liaison.
Senator Lindsey Graham, who helped facilitate the meet between Trump and Bowers told Axios, “I think there was some problems getting money for it, but it wasn’t [just] that,” seemingly referencing that the spat over fees wasn’t the only thing that led to the dissolution of the attorney/client relationship. Apparently Trump’s insistance that they argue the stolen election theory also led to the decision for Bowers to avoid the case altogether.
“Just too many cooks in the kitchen,” Graham said.
Jason Miller, adviser to Trump, said, “These guys are no longer relevant. We have our lawyers in place, we have a solid team, and we’re looking ahead.”
Thus far, Trump’s current impeachment defense team consists of David Schoen, a former district attorney for Montgomery County right outside of Philadelphia, and Bruce Castor who recently represented Trump pal and trickster Roger Stone, according to POLITICO.
Featured image via Political Tribune gallery
