Trump shakes up legal team as lawsuits pile up rapidly
PRESIDENT CONTINUES TO COMPLAIN THAT HIS LAWYERS ARE NOT PROTECTING HIM
US President Donald Trump shook up his legal team on Monday by hiring a combative former prosecutor who has publicly argued that Trump is the target of an elaborate FBI conspiracy — marking another confrontational move by the president against the rapidly mounting legal threats facing him and his administration.
Joe diGenova, a TV pundit and former US attorney who was a longtime antagonist of Bill and Hillary Clinton, is the latest addition to the sprawling array of lawyers assembled to represent Trump on two main fronts: in the probe of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and in the case of an adult film star who claims an adulterous affair.
Caught by surprise
The hiring caught many of his advisers by surprise, prompting fears that Trump is preparing for bigger changes to his legal team — including possible departures — as he goes on the offensive in the primary legal challenges facing him.
Trump is not consulting with top advisers, including Chief of Staff John Kelly and chief White House lawyer Donald McGahn, on his Russia legal choices or his comments about the probe, according to one person with knowledge of his actions, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive conversations. He is instead watching television and calling friends, this person said.
The president continues to complain that his lawyers are not protecting him and that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein — who is supervising the probe — is up to mischief, said the person, who spoke to Trump in recent days.
At the White House, the president and his aides find themselves besieged by legal threats. Last week, one of Trump’s personal attorneys, Michael Cohen, filed papers alleging that he has the right to seek at least $20 million (Dh73 million) in damages from porn star Stormy Daniels for allegedly violating a non-disclosure agreement 20 times by talking about what she says was an affair with Trump.
Russian inquiry
Over the weekend, another Trump attorney, John Dowd, went on the attack in the Russia inquiry, arguing that the probe by Special Counsel Robert Mueller should come to an end — though he backtracked on whether he was speaking on behalf of the president in saying so.
On Monday, The Washington Post reported Trump’s legal team recently shared with Mueller’s office documents containing written descriptions that chronicle key moments under investigation — in hopes of curtailing the scope of a potential presidential interview.