Trump’s pressure campaign — which lawyers and scholars say is an unprecedented threat to the legal community — shows no sign of letting up.
Good morning. Texting errors have happened to the best of us, but this is something else: The Atlantic’s editor in chief was mistakenly added to a Signal group chat in which US security officials discussed sensitive military operations, including the Trump administration’s strikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
Meanwhile, in today’s newsletter, we’re looking at Donald Trump targeting law firms that have crossed him.
What’s on deck
Markets: Investors are elated after reports that Trump could soften tariffs.
Tech: Tech’s honeymoon period with Trump is over.
Business: Tesla has flirted with disaster before. This time feels different.
But first, Trump shows no sign of letting up.
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Lawyers and scholars describe it as an unprecedented threat to the legal community and a blow to the First Amendment.
In recent weeks, Donald Trump has targeted major law firms like Paul Weiss, Perkins Coie, and Covington & Burling.
He’s ordered reviews of government contracts, stripped lawyers of their security clearances, and prevented firms‘ employees from entering federal buildings.
Trump accused each of these firms of weaponizing the judicial process and threatening national security by representing his opponents or participating in investigations against him. „Dishonest and dangerous“, Trump called them.
Some firms vowed to fight back. Paul Weiss wasn’t one of them.
On Thursday, Trump announced that he had rescinded his executive order targeting Paul Weiss after the firm agreed that it „will not adopt, use, or pursue any DEI policies“ and pledged to provide the administration with $40 million in pro bono legal work.
(Paul Weiss‘ internal copy of the agreement — obtained by BI — omits the language about DEI that was in Trump’s announcement).
Meanwhile, some in the legal community saw the firm’s actions as a major capitulation. Uproar ensued, leading one associate at Skadden to publicly resign.
Brad Karp, the chairman of Paul Weiss, defended the firm’s decision to negotiate with Trump in an internal memo.
Addressing some 2,500 employees via email, Karp said the executive order „could easily have destroyed our firm.
