“Underground Waves” at Famous US Law Firms Representing Trump

Controversy in law firms

According to the New York Times (NYT)Like many other prominent law firms, Jones Day, established in Cleveland in the 19th century, has represented controversial clients such as the Big Tobacco Company, the Osama bin Laden terrorist family …

Now, Jones Day is the most popular law firm to represent President Trump and the Republicans as they prepare to launch a legal battle that challenges the election results. But this work has raised internal concerns about the correctness of representing Trump, NOW the company’s lawyers said.

According to the report, doing business with Trump, who has faced many noisy lawsuits throughout his life, has caused concern among lawyers, contractors, suppliers and lenders. But the concerns are turning into a new drama as the president seeks to cast doubt on the election results.

Some veteran Jones Day attorneys expressed concern that the company endorsed controversies that lacked evidence and could “lend a hand” to Trump and his allies by affecting their integrity. choice, according to interviews NOW carried out against 9 anonymous partners and associates.

At another major law firm, Porter Wright Morris & Arthur in Columbus, Ohio, attorneys have held internal meetings to express similar concerns about the corporate affairs of representing Trump and the party. Republic regarding the election. At least one lawyer had quit his job to show his objection.

The two named companies have filed at least four lawsuits challenging different aspects of the Pennsylvania election. These cases are still awaiting consideration.

The latest development occurred on the night of November 9, when the Trump campaign filed a lawsuit in federal court in Pennsylvania against the head of the state foreign service and a series of district election committees. The lawsuit, filed by public attorneys for Porter Wright, alleges vote counting irregularities across the state.

In recent days, Trump and his allies have attempted to raise funds to support legal efforts. However, some fundraising proposals also note that some of the funds can be used to pay off existing campaign debt, rather than for new legal efforts.

While it’s unclear which law firm will continue to file lawsuits, Jones Day is one of Trump’s strongest legal advisers.

When Trump ran for president in 2016, Jones Day partner Donald F. McGahn, who served as an attorney outside of Trump’s company, spearheaded the vote-counting efforts. in important states. Later, McGahn became Trump’s attorney in the White House, before returning to Jones Day.

At the time, several lawyers for Jones Day protested to work closely with a controversial presidential candidate, according to three partners at the firm. They “winced” when they saw McGahn standing with Trump on stage after he won the primary election in New Hampshire in February 2016. A month later, the company held a meeting in the congressional office with Trump and MPs. Republicans, while seeking the support of party leaders.

Jones Day’s association with Trump has also faced public opposition. “Jones Day, don’t interfere with our vote,” a message painted on the street outside the company’s San Francisco office last week.

Many demands, big costs

During Trump’s tenure, Jones Day was involved in about 20 lawsuits involving Trump, his campaign, or the Republican party, and the company also worked on the Trump campaign on major investigations. government on alleged Russian interference in the 2016 elections.

The previous job brings a great source of income. Since 2015, Jones Day has received more than $ 20 million in fees from Trump campaigns, Trump-related political groups and the Republican National Committee, according to federal documents. Jones Day’s attorneys say it’s just a fraction of the company’s total revenue.

In addition to McGahnm, a number of other associates of the company have joined the Trump administration. Noel Francisco became Trump’s first legal adviser. Eric Dreiband becomes Assistant Attorney General.

Before the 2020 presidential campaign, some Jones Day associates said they had to reassure clients that the company representing Trump’s team was not affecting the company’s operations. The company’s attorneys were involved in promoting gun control and representing unaccompanied minors, many of whom were arrested by the federal government.

But NOW that partners have generally ignored concerns about a close relationship with President Trump. Trump and his allies have raised concerns about voter fraud, as part of a broader effort to question the integrity of the election.

“Many of the Republican litigation concerns are, in principle, correct. But the president’s tone undermined the claim that Republicans were only looking to maintain adequate protections, necessary to validate the credibility of the election results, ”said Benjamin L. Ginsberg. a veteran Republican election attorney who left Jones Day in August said NOW.

After the election, when Trump’s lead in Pennsylvania waned, Jones Day and Porter Wright asked the Supreme Court to separate all votes received after November 3 in Pennsylvania. They wrote in the letter demanding that Pennsylvania “be able to decide the next president of the United States.” A prominent Republican attorney, John M. Gore, was involved in spearheading this effort on Jones Day. Prior to that, he served as an assistant attorney general in the Trump administration’s Justice Department.

On the night of November 6, Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. asked Pennsylvania election officials to separate the late ballots and not include them in the announced total.

Jones Day’s attorneys said that due to the small number of late votes related to the lawsuit and the fact that they had been separated before, the lawsuit’s primary goal seemed only to undermine trust. public in the election results.

In recent days, two attorneys for Jones Day said they have faced criticism from friends and others on social media for working for a company that supports Trump’s efforts. An attorney for the company’s Washington, DC, office said the company risks damaging its own reputation by engaging in work that could compromise the law.

This year alone, Jones Day received more than $ 4 million in honoraria from Trump, his political support groups, and the Republican National Committee.

A number of Republican and Democratic partners at Jones Day said that while some of their colleagues complain about the relationship with Trump, the company’s obligation is to continue to represent clients long-term. years, if individual attorneys disagree on policy or policy.

The conflict at Porter Wright, like Jones Day founded in 19th century Ohio, appears to be even more intense.

For the past week, the company has been on behalf of the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee has filed a series of lawsuits in Pennsylvania aimed at the credibility of the election results. This year, Porter Wright received at least $ 727,000 in campaign costs from Trump and the Republican National Committee.

This summer, multiple attorneys for Porter Wright expressed their displeasure when they learned that the company represented Trump’s war campaign in Pennsylvania, based on 3 current and retired company employees. said.

One of the main concerns for them is how lawyers, whose practice is based on the law, represent someone they feel is often not appreciated. A lawyer said he was concerned that the company could be asked to try to postpone the election. Another said he left the company to protest Porter Wright’s representation of Trump in Pennsylvania.

During the two meetings, Porter Wright associates told company associates that they were opposed to representing the Trump campaign. They were later told that their work was limited to the Pennsylvania elections. That certainty cannot convince some people, because the state can decide the final outcome of the elections.

Meanwhile, the company’s managing partner, Porter Wright, declined to comment on working with Trump. The company has a long history of representing candidates, political parties, interest groups and individuals at all levels, be it local, state or federal, the representative said. on both the Republican and Democratic sides, and will continue to do so as a law firm.

peaceful

According to the NOW