Trump's legal team a wreck, lawyers all leave one week before impeachment trial begins

Former president Donald Trump's legal team didn't last long.

As of Saturday night, CNN is reporting that all five lawyers identified as part of Trump's impeachment defense — Butch Bowers, Deborah Barbier, Josh Howard, Johnny Gasser, and Greg Harris — have departed.

Kaitlan Collins, CNN White House Correspondent: "With a little more than a week before his impeachment trial is set to begin, President Trump's legal team is up in the air. Butch Bowers and Deborah Barbier, who were expected to be two of the lead attorneys, are no longer on the team."

Collins adds, "A third attorney, Josh Howard, who was also recently added to Trump's defense team, has also left, I'm told. Trump wanted the attorneys to argue there was mass election fraud and it was stolen from him rather than focus on proposed arguments about constitutionality."

Trump is not planning to appear in person to defend himself against the charge that he incited the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, reports NBC News:

As of last week, South Carolina attorneys Butch Bowers and Deborah Barbier were expected to join the team, but now a source familiar with the matter says it was a "mutual decision" to part ways. (…) Those close to the former president are unable to identify anyone on his legal team with just over a week to go until the trial begins on Feb. 9.

From Reuters:

Forty-five Senate Republicans backed a failed effort last Tuesday to halt Trump's impeachment trial, in a show of party unity that some cited as a clear sign he will not be convicted of inciting insurrection at the Capitol.