Amid the swirl of charges and counter charges, and prosecutions, one thing is clear:
Its good to be a lawyer in the Trump era.
A federal judge just dismissed a case that attempted to force to register with the Justice Department as a foreign agent for Ukraine and China. The suit was brought by a group founded by top White House official Stephen Miller, which was found not to have standing.
The former presidents son needed a lawyer â just as he did during that led to his guilty plea, until his dad broke his word and pardoned him.
The DOJ plans to ask the to intervene in Trumps appeal of an $83-million verdict in a defamation case brought by writer E. Jean Carroll. She needed a lawyer. Trump is represented by lawyers for the Justice Department, which often seems to function as his private firm. His appeal could end her case.
And, of course, he needed lawyers when he was out of office and subjected to four criminal investigations.
Washington has long been a magnet for those with a law degree, given the vast sprawl of federal agencies, Capitol Hill staff and lobbying groups.
But its never been like this.
Trump needed attorneys to defend him during two impeachments â and the House investigating committees lawyered up as well.
The president engineered charges against fired FBI chief , who had to hire a lawyer until the case was thrown out of court. Now Trump has triggered a second indictmentâover the 86*47 seashell photoâand Comey needs a lawyer again. The same goes for New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose indictment was also tossed out.
Trump yesterday declared that “lunatic” Hakeem Jeffries be “charged with INCITING VIOLENCE,” seeming to suggest the s rhetoric was linked to the third assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents Dinner. Jeffries had called for “maximum warfare,” which he described as an effort to secure more seats in the redistricting wars.
Trump has sued the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CBS and ABC, among other media outlets, requiring heavy-duty legal representation.
It isnt only Trump. When FCC Chairman Brendan Carr announced a review of local station licenses tied to Desney/ABC â just after calling for s firing â he created an opening for lots of billable hours. The review could drag on for years and is unlikely to succeed.
FBIÂ Director filed a $250-million suit against the Atlantic for a negative profile that questioned his conduct in office and alleged drinking habits â but no hint of classified information.
Two House members who resigned over sexual misconduct allegations, and Tony Gonzales â rather than face certain expulsionâcertainly needed legal advice.
A third, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, resigned after being convicted of stealing $5 million in funds.
But wrongdoing is not required. DOGE had lawyers. Think tanks have lawyers. Unions have lawyers. Environmental groups have lawyers.
Big Tech giants, which are increasingly cozying up to the , have stepped up their legal game in Washington.
The ousted Labor secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, is under investigation by the departments inspector general.
he deems insufficiently aggressive and replacing them with new lawyers.
Pro-life groups have sued to stop allowing mail-order access to the pill mifepristone, but failed for now to get anything but a temporary procedural ruling from the Supreme Court.
And then there are the endless that drag on through seemingly endless rounds.
The is a place where everyone wants something. And that usually requires legal firepower.Â
Im sure most of these lawyers do a fine job. This is not a knock on the profession. But like the gold prospectors of yore, they go where the glitter is,
