Former President Donald Trump’s defense lawyer David Schoen on Tuesday night defended his team’s winding statements during the opening of the Senate impeachment trial, saying it would be “very well prepared” in the future.
Speaking with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Schoen said that his defense partner, Bruce Castor, and Castor’s law firm “seem to be very capable people” and that Castor hadn’t planned to begin his arguments on Tuesday.
“So, I’m sure they will be very well prepared in the future and do a great job in the case,” Schoen said.
Seemingly everyone who had watched the Senate trial earlier in the day, including Trump, was left mystified by Castor’s opening remarks, which touched on topics as disparate as Ancient Greek democracy and the “extraordinary” gallantry of U.S. senators. Trump, in particular, was said to have found their performances disappointing, especially on the heels of House impeachment managers’ searing video montage of the Jan. 6 riots.
Even Hannity, a frequent ally of Trump who spent his Tuesday show disparaging the impeachment effort, complained about the defense team’s performance. He led his interview by asking about the lawyers’ verbose statements, only for Schoen to respond stone-faced about the merits of the impeachment in general.
Hannity had to push Schoen on the matter at the end of the interview, saying that “some conservatives called me and said, ‘Whoa, we need someone harder hitting here.’”
Referring to Castor and his law firm, Schoen responded: “There’s a lot to say, and I know they feel very strongly about fighting against what they are seeing.”
