Trump Lawyer Says He Sent Children to Secret Location, Hired Armed Guards Over Threats

Michael van der Veen (R), defense attorney for Donald Trump, arrives before the fifth day of the Senate Impeachment trials for former President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Feb. 13, 2021. Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images

An attorney who represented former President Donald Trump during his impeachment trial said he sent his children to a secret location and was forced to hire guards at his home and work, citing threats against him for defending the former president.

Michael van der Veen told Newsmax on Monday that “I moved my children to a secretive location. We’ve hired armed guards to protect our places of living and working. And we’re doing fine.”

“My family understands and my law firm understands that we fight on the side of right,” he added.

The lawyer, who is based in Philadelphia, said that his home was vandalized with graffiti.

Detective Scott Pezick of the West Whiteland Township Police Department confirmed the development on Feb. 12. Photos uploaded online showed “traitor” spray-painted on his property.

“My home was attacked last night—windows broken, spray paint, really bad words spray-painted everywhere,” van der Veen said at the time, adding, “I’ve had nearly 100 death threats.”

He continued to say: “The thing is, you guys don’t know me but you know I’m not a controversial guy. I’m not politically minded so to speak. I’m a trial lawyer and I represent people’s interests in court. That’s what I do. I love doing it. And I’m disappointed that that is the result of just me doing my job.”

Following the Nov. 3 election, a number of GOP officials and Trump-aligned individuals faced threats. A Pennsylvania-based lawyer who had represented Trump in his election lawsuits confirmed in court filings in late 2020 that she was forced to seek protection from the U.S. Marshals after receiving threats. Another law firm that had represented Trump was forced to pull out of a lawsuit due to alleged threats.

Meanwhile, two Republicans on Wayne County’s Board of Canvassers had said in November they received threats over their vote against certifying the county’s election results. They eventually voted to certify the votes but later tried to rescind them, to no avail.

House Democrats impeached Trump for allegedly inciting violence during the Capitol breach on Jan. 6, which Trump and his lawyers denied. He was ultimately acquitted on Feb. 13 in a 57-43 vote.

The impeachment managers, led by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) frequently cited Trump’s Jan. 6 comment to supporters about fighting for election integrity: “We fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”

The former commander-in-chief’s lawyers argued that House managers willfully omitted the part of his speech where he told demonstrators to “peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.” Trump also denounced the violence following the breach of the Capitol.

Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the year when a Pennsylvania-based Trump lawyer confirmed in court filings that she was forced to seek protection. The Epoch Times regrets the error.