President Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting elite U.S. law firms appear to share a common thread: personal grievances against attorneys associated with those firms.
The latest target, Jenner & Block, was singled out because of its former partner, Andrew Weissmann. Weissmann played a key role as a lead prosecutor on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team, which investigated links between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia. Just before signing the order at the White House on Tuesday, Trump made his feelings clear, stating, “He’s a bad guy.”
A similar order against Paul Weiss—later rescinded as part of a deal—cited the firm’s connection to Mark Pomerantz, a former Manhattan prosecutor and ex-Paul Weiss partner involved in investigating Trump’s business dealings.
An earlier action against Perkins Coie stemmed from long-standing grievances, particularly its work for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign. The firm had hired research company Fusion GPS, which, in turn, commissioned a former British spy to compile a dossier alleging Russian ties to Trump’s campaign.
U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell commented on Trump’s persistence in referencing Fusion GPS, saying during a March 12 hearing in Perkins Coie’s lawsuit against the order, “He keeps bringing it up. It’s like he doesn’t want any of us to forget Fusion GPS. He really has a bee in his bonnet about it.”
On Wednesday, attorneys general from 20 Democratic-led states condemned Trump’s actions, calling them a “clear threat to our system of justice and our profession.” In an open letter to the legal community, they accused Trump of targeting individual attorneys simply because they represented clients who challenged him.
The attorneys general also pointed to Paul Weiss’s compliance with Trump’s order as an example of the chilling effect these actions could have on the legal profession.
