Four top law firms turned down offers to represent Trump in the Russia investigation because they are concerned that the President won’t listen to them, and he won’t pay them.
Michael Isikoff of Yahoo News reported:
But a consistent theme, the sources said, was the concern about whether the president would accept the advice of his lawyers and refrain from public statements and tweets that have consistently undercut his position.
“The concerns were, ‘The guy won’t pay and he won’t listen,’†said one lawyer close to the White House who is familiar with some of the discussions between the firms and the administration, as well as deliberations within the firms themselves.
Trump ended up retaining his longtime attorney Marc Kasowitz, who doesn’t have much experience in dealing with congressional investigations and the Department of Justice. Trump has a lawyer that has represented him in PR disputes and business deals. He doesn’t have a legal team that is experienced in dealing with investigations.
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Law firms have watched Trump not take the advice of his own staff, undercut his own staff, and do whatever he pleases. Given the fact that Trump is likely to ignore the advice of legal counsel, while not paying them, no respectable firm will touch him with a 100-foot pole.
If there were nothing to the Russia scandal, as the White House claims, Trump would have been able to get a better lawyer. Defending Trump on Russia could be a long and expensive process. Top fight law firms don’t want to risk their reputations defending a president who has proven that he doesn’t listen to anyone.
Trump is a nightmare client, which is why so many law firms have said thanks but no thanks to representing this president.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
