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Wednesday 3 February 2021
Trump lawyer: Impeachment case 'undemocratic,' ill-advised

Associated Press parted ways with another
WASHINGTON (AP) — Dem- set of attorneys in what one
ocrats are using the up- person described as a mu-
coming Senate impeach- tual decision.
ment trial of Donald Trump In an interview with The At-
as a political "weapon" to lanta Journal-Constitution,
bar the former president Schoen said he did not plan
from seeking office again to argue that Trump lost the
and are pursuing a case election because of fraud,
that is "undemocratic" and as Trump has repeatedly
unconstitutional, one of his insisted, and would instead
lawyers says. argue that the trial itself is
Trump faces trial next week unconstitutional. He also
on accusations that he said he'll make the case
incited a harrowing and that his words were pro-
deadly siege at the U.S. tected by the First Amend-
Capitol on Jan. 6, when ment and did not incite a
loyalists in town for a rally riot.
supporting the president House Democrats plan to
overran the police and lay out what happened on
violently stormed the build- Jan. 6 in graphic detail —
ing. The House passed a an effort to get through to
single article of impeach- Senate Republicans who
ment against Trump one In this Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, file photo, President Donald Trump waves as he boards Marine have largely avoided talk-
week before he left of- One on the South Lawn of the White House, in Washington, en route to his Mar-a-Lago Florida ing about the attack itself
fice, triggering a trial that Resort. and Trump's role in it, in-
Democrats say is necessary Associated Press stead focusing on the pro-
to hold Trump publicly ac- cess of the impeachment
countable for the attack. ditch attempt to avoid an said. about as undemocratic as trial. They are expected to
If Trump is convicted, Con- impeachment trial. The Trump is the first president you can get." play videos and verbally
gress could bar him from Senate held it anyway. in American history to be The Constitution specifies recount the violence of the
holding public office again. On the eve of expected impeached twice. He was that disqualification from day in hopes of stirring the
Whether the Senate trial legal briefs from lawyers for acquitted at a Senate trial office can be a punish- Republicans, most of whom
is constitutional is a point both sides, Trump attorney last year over his contacts ment for an impeachment fled the Senate that day as
of contention because of David Schoen's appear- with his Ukrainian counter- conviction. the rioters broke in.
the unique circumstances: ance on Fox News Monday part, but was acquitted Schoen, a criminal defense The nine House impeach-
never before has a presi- night previewed some of by the Senate. Impeach- and civil rights lawyer, and ment managers who will
dent faced an impeach- the arguments he plans to ment, Schoen said, "is the Bruce Castor, a former argue the case also are
ment trial after leaving of- make at the trial. He called weapon they've tried to county prosecutor in Penn- expected to lay out how
fice. Democrats say there the case needlessly divi- use against him." sylvania, were announced they believe Trump's ac-
is precedent, pointing to sive. The new case was an ef- as Trump's legal team on tions over the previous sev-
an 1876 impeachment of "It's also the most ill-advised fort to bar Trump from ever Sunday evening, one day eral months led up to it and
a secretary of war who re- legislative action that I've running for office again, after it was revealed that eventually incited the insur-
signed his office in a last- seen in my lifetime," Schoen Schoen said, "and that's the former president had rectionists to act. q

spring comes early. turn as a weather oracle. There are two other high-
Wearing top hats, mem- Phil this year, like many profile "imposters," as the
bers of the club summoned years in the past, gave his Punxsutawney Groundhog
Phil from a new tree stump. forecast during a major Club calls them, in the re-
"You look beautiful," club snowstorm that hit the en- gion.
president Jeff Lundy told tire Northeast. Connecticut marked
Phil, who directed mem- The annual event has its Groundhog Day with a
bers to one of two scrolls. origin in a German legend hedgehog making the pre-
A club member an- about a furry rodent. Re- diction after the state's of-
nounced, "We have all cords dating to the late ficial groundhog, Chuckles
passed through the dark- 1800s show Phil has pre- X, died last year. Like Phil,
ness of night, but now see dicted longer winters more Phoebe predicted anoth-
hope in morning's bright than 100 times. The 2020 er six weeks of winter after
light. But now when I turn to forecast called for an ear- seeing its shadow at the
see, there's a perfect shad- ly spring — however, Phil Lutz Children's Museum in
Groundhog Club President Jeff Lundy interacts with Punxsutaw-
ney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the ow cast of me." didn't say anything about a Manchester.
135th celebration of Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney, Pa. Tues- The livestream from Gob- pandemic. New York City's Staten Is-
day, Feb. 2, 2021. bler's Knob, a tiny hill just According to records dat- land Chuck disagreed,
Associated Press outside Punxsutawney ing back to 1887, Phil has predicting an early spring in
about 65 miles (105 kilo- predicted winter more than a video shown on the Stat-
Continued from Front Then of course, the prog- meters) northeast of Pitts- 100 times, the club said. Ten en Island Zoo's Facebook
A livestream, which had nosticator of prognostica- burgh, is made possible years were lost because no page.
more than 15,000 viewers tors emerged at dawn. The by the Pennsylvania Tour- records were kept. "We're going to have an
at one point, played foot- lore goes that if he sees his ism Office's Holi-stay PA. Punxsutawney Phil may be early spring! Spring is com-
age from previous Ground- shadow as he did this year, Tuesday's event there — the most famous ground- ing," Brian Gomez, of event
hog Days ahead of the big there will be six more weeks Groundhog Day is always hog seer but he's certainly sponsor Investors Bank said
reveal. of winter. If he doesn't, Feb. 2 — was Phil's 135th not the only one. in a video message.q