On The Day Before Being Arrested & Charged On 37 Counts Related To Illegally Possessing Classified Documents, "Nightmare Client" Donald Trump Cannot Find A Lawyer Willing To Represent Him
One lawyer: "I would love to do it. But my wife would divorce me and my kids wouldn't talk to me if I defended Trump."
UPDATE: Self-described billionaire who is completely innocent of all wrongdoing fails to find a lawyer willing to defend him. lol
Trump Finds No New Lawyers For Court Appearance In Mar-A-Lago Case
Huigh Lowell, The Guardian, June 13, 2023
Donald Trump is expected to be represented at his first court appearance to face federal criminal charges for retaining national security materials and obstruction of justice by two of his existing lawyers, despite trying to recruit a local Florida lawyer willing to join his legal defense team.
The lawyers making an appearance with Trump on Tuesday will be the top former federal prosecutor Todd Blanche and the former Florida solicitor general Chris Kise, according to people familiar with the matter. . . .
Trump and his legal team spent the afternoon before his arraignment interviewing potential lawyers but the interviews did not result in any joining the team in time for Trump’s initial court appearance scheduled for 3pm ET on Tuesday after several attorneys declined to take him as a client.
Trump has also seemingly been unable to find a specialist national security lawyer, eligible to possess a security clearance, to help him navigate the Espionage Act charges.
Trump Scrambles To Find Lawyer On Eve Of First Federal Court Appearance
Spencer S. Hsu, David Ovalle, Jacqueline Alemany and Josh Dawsey, Washington Post, June 12, 2023
Donald Trump spent the day before his historic appearance in federal court scrambling to find a qualified Florida lawyer willing to join his defense team as he faces the Justice Department’s first prosecution of a former president.
After touching down in Miami on Monday, Trump spent the afternoon interviewing prospective lawyers and meeting with his legal team, along with other top advisers, to discuss the case . . . Several prominent Florida attorneys declined to take Trump on as a client after two of the key lawyers handling the documents matter — Jim Trusty and John Rowley — resigned last week . . .
Trusty and Rowley’s departure was sudden and unexpected, leaving Trump jockeying to identify a lawyer ahead of his Tuesday appearance in federal court in Miami . . .
The 11th-hour flurry of action to hire a seasoned trial attorney was a familiar dance for Trump, who has had difficulty hiring and keeping lawyers over the course of numerous federal and state investigations since his 2016 election as president.
Disagreements over legal strategy have hindered the search for new defense attorneys, according to people familiar with the discussions . . .
Some on Trump’s team have pushed to pursue an aggressively partisan strategy in which they would accuse the Justice Department of prosecutorial misconduct and weaponizing the legal system against Trump. The other camp, a person briefed on the situation said, is urging the former president to put together a traditional defense team and believes that the case is winnable at trial through careful jury selection . . .
Among those Trump’s team has approached about representation is Benedict Kuehne [who] was charged in 2008 in an indictment involving alleged money laundering, obstruction of justice and forfeiture accusations . . .
Jon Sale, a prominent Florida defense attorney who worked on the Watergate prosecution team and turned down the opportunity to join Trump’s defense team last year, said that the pros and cons of representing Trump are obvious.
“Without engaging in hyperbole, it’s arguably the biggest case in the world,” said Sale. “But the cons are illustrated by three of his four lawyers quitting in the last few weeks. He needs a good Florida lawyer with an impeccable reputation who is very experienced in this.” . . .
Trump is known as a difficult client — he eschews legal advice, sometimes issues public threats to engage in illegal activity and frequently skips out on his legal bills.
One veteran South Florida defense attorney, Philip Reizenstein . . . said he’s not surprised local defense attorneys are shying away from Trump, given the former president’s history. “Many lawyers appear to be making a calculated decision that the prestige that goes with representing a former president is not worth the nearly inevitable attack on their reputation in the media,” Reizenstein said. . . .
Another liability in representing Trump: his knack for putting his lawyers in a position to become witnesses against him. . . .
“None Of Us Want To Work For The Guy”: “Nightmare Client” Trump Can’t Find A New Mar-a-Lago Lawyer
Desperate Trump is reportedly meeting with an attorney who was once indicted himself
Gabriella Ferrigine, Salon, June 12, 2023
Trump has been turned down by multiple attorneys, according to The Messenger, and NBC News’ Ken Dilanian reported that if the former president cannot find someone by Tuesday, “the arraignment may have to be postponed.” . . .
The Guardian’s Hugo Lowell reported that Trump . . . is currently expected to be represented by his New York lawyer Todd Blanche and Florida attorney Chris Kise, who was reportedly sidelined last year after urging Trump to calm tensions with Justice Department investigators.
Trump is also represented by Linsdsey Halligan, an inexperienced Florida attorney he hired last year during another stretch when he struggled to find prominent attorneys to represent him. . . .
Trump’s struggles come after two of his attorneys in the Mar-a-Lago case, Jim Trusty and John Rowley, resigned from his defense team just hours after the indictment. . . .
The Messenger reported that Trump’s legal team has interviewed six Southern Florida law firms thus far but many have passed on the opportunity to work for the ex-president, largely owing to his inflammatory and polarizing nature.
“The problem is none of us want to work for the guy. He’s a nightmare client,” a leading federal criminal defense lawyer in the Southern District of Florida told the outlet, also commenting on the ongoing rumors of infighting and deep-seated distrust amongst Trump’s legal team.
“I would love to do it. I think the case is weak,” another attorney who spoke with Trump’s defense team said. “But my wife would divorce me and my kids wouldn’t talk to me if I defended Trump.”
He started the day like this:
He seems like he has things under control.