In an ongoing quest to deny his political opponents the right to counsel, Donald Trump has already intimidated one big law firm into becoming his compliant lackey. Now he is targeting yet another firm, Jenner & Block.
The Washington Post reports:
Legal scholars say no previous U.S. administration has taken such concerted action against the legal establishment, with Trump’s predecessors in both parties typically respecting the constitutionally enshrined tenet that everyone deserves effective representation in court and that lawyers cannot be targeted simply for the cases and clients they take on.
Trump has used executive orders to target powerful law firms that have challenged him. The latest came Tuesday against Jenner & Block, which employed attorney Andrew Weissmann after he worked as a prosecutor in Robert S. Mueller III’s special counsel investigation of Trump in his first term.
The firm “has participated in the weaponization of the legal system against American principles and values. And we believe that the measures in this executive order will help correct that,” White House staff secretary Will Scharf said as he handed Trump the order to sign, calling out Weissmann by name.
The orders have sought to strip law firms of their business by banning their lawyers from government buildings and barring companies that have federal contracts from employing the firms.
This is no longer about what might happen. It is already happening. The Post reports that “Biden-era officials said they’re having trouble finding lawyers willing to defend them,” and “legal resistance to Trump administration actions” is receiving less pro bono support from large firms.
