Some of the country’s elite law firms are discovering that their activities as part of the “resistance” during Trump 1.0 and the harassment of Trump and his allies during the interregnum were not all fun and games. Thursday, President Trump signed an executive order stripping powerhouse Democrat and progressive law firm Perkins Coie of all government contracts and supported facilities, like sensitive compartmented information facilities, and suspending the security clearances held by its attorneys; see Addressing Risks from Perkins Coie LLP – The White House. The reasons given were Perkins Coie’s acting as George Soros stormtroopers to knock down voter ID laws, its use of racial and ethnic quotas to hire attorneys, and its role in developing and disseminating the fraudulent Steele Dossier during the 2016 presidential campaign, but mostly for the Steele Dossier.
This follows a similar action taken against another law firm that acts as the legal arm of the Democrat Party, Covington & Burling; see Suspension of Security Clearances and Evaluation of Government Contracts – The White House. This order suspended the security clearances of attorneys who assisted former special counsel Jack Smith and terminated government contracts with the law practice.
For law firms used to being the hunters and not the hunted, this is causing some concern.
The White House moves have sent a chill through the world of Big Law, at a time when litigation has emerged as one of the few checks on the president.
In private conversations, partners at some of the nation’s leading firms have expressed outrage at the president’s actions. What they haven’t been willing to do is say so publicly. Back-channel efforts to persuade major law firms to sign public statements criticizing Trump’s actions thus far have foundered, in part because of retaliation fears, people familiar with the matter said.
In particular, the orders have hit home with one of he most prominent purveyors of lawfare against Trump, his family, friends, and associates who writes at, oddly enough, Lawfaremedia.