David Schoen | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Education | George Washington University (BA) Boston College (JD) Columbia University (LLM) |
David Schoen is an American attorney specializing in federal criminal defense and civil rights law. He was one of the attorneys who represented former president Donald Trump during his second impeachment trial in the United States Senate.
Schoen was born in Washington, D.C. His father was an FBI agent who died when Schoen was four years old. His mother was a businesswoman who ran a Ford dealership. [1] He has received degrees from George Washington University (Bachelor of Arts, 1980), Boston College Law School (Juris Doctor, 1984), and Columbia University Law School (Master of Laws, 1992). [2]
Schoen's practice is based in Alabama. His earlier work includes civil rights cases challenging police and prison violence, matters involving ballot access, and a suit challenging abuses in the Alabama foster care system. [3] Schoen also represented Roger Stone during his trial related to charges made during the Mueller investigation and briefly Jeffrey Epstein before his suicide. [4] [5]
Schoen represented former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon in 2022, after Bannon was indicted for criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to testify before the January 6 committee. Days before Bannon's trial was to begin, Schoen made court motions in Bannon's defense to presiding judge Carl Nichols, which were rejected. Schoen asked the court, "what's the point of going to trial if there are no defenses?", to which Nichols replied, "agreed," hinting that Bannon should seek a plea deal. [6] [7] [8]
Schoen was one of the lawyers representing Donald Trump during his second impeachment trial in the United States Senate. On the first day of the trial, Schoen presented a legal argument that the Senate lacked jurisdiction to try a former president. [9] He contended that the impeachment was fueled by "base hatred" and a "lust for impeachment". He also held up a copy of Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung (commonly known as "Mao's Little Red Book") in comparing the impeachment to the actions of authoritarian regimes. [10]
Schoen closed his argument on day one with an emotional recital of a portion of the 1849 poem, "The Building of the Ship" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. [11] [12] A CNN account described Schoen as "nearly weeping" and seeming to "choke back tears" as he read the poem. [13]
While the argument of co-counsel Bruce Castor was widely panned, The New York Times credited Schoen with offering "a more spirited performance" that "heartened" the former president. [14] Through the fourth day of Senate proceedings Schoen spoke a total of 43 minutes. [15]
Interviewed after the trial, Schoen said that the defense team was plagued by poor internal communication and coordination and other management issues. [16]
Schoen is a practicing Orthodox Jew. [17] During his presentation on the first day of the Trump impeachment trial, Schoen drew attention for his practice of covering his head with his hand every time he took a sip of water. Fellow Jews speculated that Schoen was either reflexively reaching to keep a phantom yarmulke from falling off [18] or covering his head with his hand while saying a blessing over his water. [19] Schoen later explained that he "wasn’t sure if it was appropriate" to wear a yarmulke at the trial and "didn't want to offend anyone." [20] Schoen also noted that he was touched by moving emails from others who struggled with issues concerning the wearing of head covering: "It was never my intention to make any sort of statement, and I am not learned enough to inspire in any other way, but if this experience and the discussion that flowed from it had any positive impact in any way, then I am really honored to have been a part of that, even if unwittingly." [21]
Kenneth Winston Starr was an American lawyer and judge who authored the Starr Report, which led to the impeachment of Bill Clinton. He headed an investigation of members of the Clinton administration, known as the Whitewater controversy, from 1994 to 1998. Starr previously served as a federal appellate judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit from 1983 to 1989 and as the U.S. solicitor general from 1989 to 1993 during the presidency of George H. W. Bush.
Jay Alan Sekulow is an American lawyer, radio, television talk show host and politically conservative media personality. He has been chief counsel of the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ) since 1991. As a member of President Donald Trump's legal team, he served as lead outside counsel for Trump's first impeachment trial in the United States Senate.
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The first impeachment trial of Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, began in the U.S. Senate on January 16, 2020, and concluded with his acquittal on February 5. After an inquiry between September to November 2019, President Trump was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives on December 18, 2019; the articles of impeachment charged him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. It was the third impeachment trial of a U.S. president, preceded by those of Andrew Johnson and of Bill Clinton.
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The second impeachment trial of Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, began on February 9, 2021, and concluded with his acquittal on February 13. Trump had been impeached for the second time by the House of Representatives on January 13, 2021. The House adopted one article of impeachment against Trump: incitement of insurrection. He is the only U.S. president and only federal official to be impeached twice. He was impeached by the House seven days prior to the expiration of his term and the inauguration of Joe Biden. Because he left office before the trial, this was the first impeachment trial of a former president. The article of impeachment addressed Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results and stated that Trump incited the attack on the Capitol in Washington, D.C., while Congress was convened to count the electoral votes and certify the victory of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
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