Former President Donald Trump has abruptly parted ways with five lawyers handling his impeachment defence, just over a week before the Senate trial is set to begin, people familiar with the situation said on Saturday.

Those departures include his lead lawyer, Butch Bowers, whose hiring was announced last week, a person familiar with the situation said. Four other lawyers who were reported to be joining, including Deborah Barbier, a criminal defence lawyer in South Carolina, are also leaving, according to multiple people familiar with the situation.

Trump had pushed for his defence team to focus on his baseless claim that the election was stolen from him, one person familiar with the situation said. A person close to Trump disputed that that was the case but acknowledged that there were differences in opinion about the defence strategy.

However, Trump has insisted that the case is “simple” and has told advisers he could argue it himself and save the money on lawyers. The decision for Bowers to leave was “mutual”, another person familiar with the situation said, adding that Trump and Bowers had no chemistry.

New York Times News Service