Former President Trump and his ex-impeachment lawyer Butch Bowers argued over legal fees in a dispute that compounded disagreements about the defense team’s strategy, Axios reported on Tuesday.
The conflict resulted in Bowers, along with four other attorneys, reportedly leaving the team over the weekend and the Trump team announcing David Schoen and Bruce L. Castor Jr. as the new leading attorneys for his defense on Sunday.
The disagreements highlighted the challenges the 45th president faces in forming a legal team to argue against his second impeachment.
Sources familiar with conversations between Trump and Bowers, who was connected with the former president through Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), told Axios they quarreled over the price of compensation over several phone calls.
The initial agreement was that Trump would pay Bowers $250,000 for his individual services, which “delighted” the former president, a source told Axios. But Trump did not realize this figure did not include funding for more lawyers, researchers and other legal fees.
When Bowers came back with a $3 million budget, Trump and his team grew angry, despite the fact that he had raised $170 million for legal defense spending as his team had already prepared to separately fund audiovisuals, a rapid-response team and a legislative liaison.
Trump’s team reportedly believed the case to be fairly simply after only five GOP senators rejected an effort by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to declare the looming trial unconstitutional.
“I think there was some problems getting money for it, but it wasn’t [just] that,” Graham said, according to Axios. “Just too many cooks in the kitchen.”
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Trump and former impeachment lawyer argued over legal fees: report https://t.co/gcabHnSNRE pic.twitter.com/9hGJAADQfB
— The Hill (@thehill) February 2, 2021
I thought money might have been one of the issues. Only Rudy would be ok with a
“we will talk about fees later” arrangement. Well, better for these lawyers to find out now than do all the work, then try to collect from Deadbeat Donnie.I expect the 250k was supposed to be a retainer with the additional fees and costs to be paid later. I would have thought Mr. Bowers would have explained that to Trump, but maybe he did and now Trump is complaining that Mr. Bowers is trying to chisel him as an excuse to drop Me. Bowers because he didn’t want to have to part
with any more of the donations he raised for his “defense.”I sure hope the new team has a firm fee contract in place and gets at least some money upfront. If they don’t, they are fools.
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