Attorney David Schoen, who represented former US President in his second impeachment trial this month, reflects on the trial, which ended in Trump's second acquittal, in an interview with i24NEWS.
Schoen discusses 'Yarmulkegate,' in which he, an Orthodox Jew, covered his head while drinking water during a Senate hearing because he was not wearing the traditional head-covering at the time.
"It's always kind of an awkward decision for me to make. When I go to court, just before the judge, I wear my yarmulke. I made a decision a long time ago never to wear it in front of a jury because of an incident that happened once in a case in Brooklyn with anti-Semitic jurors. It was a big incident. I'm afraid that it's to the client's detriment. People make a judgement when they see the yarmulke, and sometimes it's not good," he explains.
"So I made a decision during these proceedings not to wear my yarmulke when I was addressing the Senate. Some days I forgot it was on. I walked in with it and people said: 'why is he wearing it today?' I really didn't think it would be an issue. Then, when I made my presentation, I didn't have the yarmulke on, and for me it's unusual and awkward to be drinking something or eating something without my yarmulke on. I was conscious of it. I first made my bracha, I covered my head, just to say G-d is above us and I'm making this bracha and so on and sanctify the moment. And then, each time I was drinking I didn't have anything else available, so I covered my head with my hand. And then that became sort of a viral story. It was a little embarrassing and awkward, but I understand it's unusual," he added.