Defending Trump in Russia probe? It’s hardly a dream job
WASHINGTON — Several prominent lawyers asked to help represent President Donald Trump in the last year have spurned the assignment at least partly out of concerns he wouldn’t pay his bills and doesn’t listen to legal advice, according to people familiar with the conversations.
The result is that as investigators intensify their focus on the president’s inner circle, including his personal lawyer, Trump has been left with a lean legal team that has struggled to add criminal defence firepower. Though more lawyers may come aboard soon, Trump has time and again struck out in landing some of Washington’s most notable attorneys. The extra help may be especially needed in the critical months ahead, as special counsel Robert Mueller seeks an interview with Trump and reaches conclusions on whether the president engaged in obstruction of justice.
That Trump does not have multiple brand-name criminal defence lawyers is startling since, in ordinary circumstances, representing the president in a hugely consequential legal fight would be a dream assignment. President Bill Clinton, for instance, was navigated through the Whitewater scandal by lawyers from Williams & Connolly, one of Washington’s most highly regarded firms.
At least one lawyer who was approached but rejected the opportunity made clear that he’d expect Trump to refrain from discussing the investigation on social media, according to a lawyer familiar with the exchange who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential client matters. That admonition has apparently gone unheeded.