Former President Donald Trump announced over the weekend that David Schoen, whose practice is based in Montgomery, will be one of two attorneys leading the defense during Trump’s second impeachment trial.
A graduate of Boston College Law School, Schoen moved to Montgomery in the mid-1980s to pursue an interest in civil rights litigation, according to his bio on his firm’s website. He has worked with Democrats in the past and held positions with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Alabama Prison Project.
In more recent years, Schoen came to the attention of many conservatives for his appearances on Fox News Channel, arguments against the legitimacy of the Mueller report and his legal defense of Trump ally Roger Stone.
“It is an honor to represent the 45th President, Donald J. Trump, and the United States Constitution,” remarked Schoen in a release.
Bruce Castor, a prominent Pennsylvania attorney, will serve as the other lead counsel in Trump’s upcoming Senate trial.
The trial is the result of an impeachment brought by the U.S. House alleging Trump incited the mob of his supporters that stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
Castor and Schoen will lead Trump’s defense team during the trial, which is slated to begin the week of February 8.
Schoen’s listed biography shows a number of Alabama connections he has made while practicing in the state over the years, including serving as a moot court judge for Faulkner University’s Jones School of Law in Montgomery and holding a position with the Alabama Civil Liberties Union. Schoen’s firm also has an office in New York and describes him as doing legal work across the country.
Schoen has made headlines in recent years for holding a legal consultation with billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein just days before the infamous financier was reported to have killed himself. Schoen has said he believes Epstein was murdered.
Trump’s political office also relayed that Schoen, who the office described as a “highly respected trial lawyer,” has been working with Trump for some time and supports the legal interpretation that impeaching Trump while he is out of office is unconstitutional.
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) put forth a procedural motion arguing that interpretation last week; it was voted down 55-45.
Numerous national political observers have noted that the margins by which Paul’s motion failed mean Trump is likely to be acquitted again.
They argue that since only five of the Senate’s 50 Republicans voted that the impeachment trial is constitutional, it is unlikely that Democrats will get the 17 Republican votes needed for conviction.
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: [email protected] or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.
