WASHINGTON - Former President Donald Trump has hired South Carolina-based lawyer Butch Bowers to represent him in his Senate impeachment trial over a charge that he incited violence, a source familiar with the matter said.

The development was first reported by Punchbowl News. Bowers, who has his own law office in South Carolina, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Bowers has represented former Republican governors in South Carolina and served in the U.S. Justice Department under former President George W. Bush, according to his website.

The U.S. House of Representatives on Jan. 13 made Trump the first U.S. president to be impeached twice, charging him with inciting an insurrection as lawmakers sought to certify President Joe Biden’s victory in the Nov. 3 election.

A Senate impeachment trial could begin next week.

Reuters