President Donald Trump‘s executive orders targeting prominent U.S. law firms have one thing in common: they all seem to stem from personal grievances. Trump’s latest order focuses on Jenner & Block, a firm linked to Andrew Weissmann, a former partner and lead prosecutor on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team. Mueller’s investigation looked into the 2016 election and the potential ties between Trump’s campaign and Russia.
Trump did not hold back when discussing Weissmann. “He’s a bad guy,” Trump said just before signing the order at the White House on Tuesday.
Earlier, Trump had issued an order against the law firm Paul Weiss. The order was later withdrawn following an agreement with the firm. Trump had targeted Paul Weiss because of Mark Pomerantz, a former Manhattan prosecutor who worked there. Pomerantz had investigated Trump and his business dealings.
Trump’s earlier action against Perkins Coie was another example of his focus on law firms with connections to his political adversaries. He criticized the firm for its involvement in the research by Fusion GPS, which produced a controversial dossier alleging Russian ties to Trump’s campaign.
At a March 12 court hearing related to Perkins Coie, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell noted that Trump frequently brought up the Fusion GPS dossier. “He keeps bringing it up. It’s like he doesn’t want any of us to forget Fusion GPS,” she said, commenting on Trump’s obsession with the issue.
Trump’s actions have drawn backlash from legal professionals. Democratic attorneys general from 20 states condemned his attacks on law firms, calling them a threat to the justice system. They expressed concern that Trump was targeting lawyers simply for representing clients who opposed him.
Mark Pomerantz defended his actions, stating that his work to prosecute Trump was lawful. “What matters is not what the president is saying about me, but what he is doing to crush opposition from anyone who disagrees with him,” Pomerantz said in a statement.
Jenner & Block vowed to fight Trump’s order. “We will pursue all appropriate remedies,” the firm said.
The executive orders have significant implications. They suspend security clearances for lawyers at these firms, limit their access to government buildings and officials, and threaten to cancel federal contracts held by clients of the firms.
In a statement to Reuters, White House spokesperson Harrison Fields used a play on Trump’s campaign slogan, “President Trump is Making Big Law Great Again!”
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