PHILADELPHIA — Former President Donald Trump announced Sunday that he has chosen former Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce L. Castor Jr. to head his defense at his Senate impeachment trial later this month.
The former president made the announcement in a statement that lauded Castor and his newly selected co-lead counsel, David Schoen, an attorney based in Montgomery, Alabama, for “bringing national profiles and significant trial experience in high profile cases.”
Castor, who was once a perennial Republican candidate for higher office, is best known for his first elected position — his tenure as Montgomery County district attorney between 2000 and 2008. During that period, he famously declined to prosecute Bill Cosby based on the allegations that years later sent the comedian to prison.
Castor later served a fractious four years on the county’s Board of Commissioners and had a brief stint as Pennsylvania’s acting attorney general after the sudden resignation of Kathleen Kane amid scandal.
The news of his selection to head Trump’s legal team came a day after most of his lawyers resigned in what sources told The Associated Press was a difference of opinion.
In a statement, Castor said he considered it a “privilege to represent the 45th president.”
“The strength of our Constitution is about to be tested like never before in our history,” he said. “It is strong and resilient — a document written for the ages, and it will triumph over partisanship yet again, and always.”
