If the news of Donald Trump’s indictment was not sensational enough, two of his lawyers, Jim Trusty and John Rowley have both resigned.
Two lawyers who represented Donald Trump months before the former president was indicted on federal charges over handling of classified documents quit working for him Friday morning.
The attorneys, Jim Trusty and John Rowley did not elaborate on why they resigned. They only said that it was “a logical time” given the indictment of Trump on Thursday at U.S. District Court Miami.
Some have interpreted Trump’s announced departure as a return to his “Apprentice-like” style of operation.
Aaaaand apparently he just fired him. https://t.co/97PuPrOxQQ
— Rob Stutzman 🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@RobStutzman) June 9, 2023
Trump left it unclear who was fired. He said:
Todd Blanche, Esq. and a later-named firm will represent me in the fight against the Greatest Witch Hunt ever, which is now moving to Florida Courts. Jim Trusty and John Rowley deserve my thanks for their hard work. They were fighting against a group of dishonest people who are corrupt, evil, and sick. In the next few days, we will announce additional lawyers. When will Joe Biden face charges for the many crimes he has committed against our nation? MAGA!
Trusty informed CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that Trump’s legal staff did not hold the actual indictment but had instead received an email from the DOJ outlining the charges.
BREAKING: Trump lawyer Jim Trusty tells @kaitlancollins that they do not have indictment, but have received a summons via email from DOJ which refers to charges including:
1. Espionage Act Charge
2. Several Obstruction Charges
3. False Statements Charges
4. Conspiracy Charge https://t.co/wPvUdJ19ry— Paula Reid (@PaulaReidCNN) June 9, 2023
The news that the legal team has split is rather unexpected, especially since the reports published after the indictment outlined the anticipated strategy of the team.
What’s Next?
According to a law enforcement official, the U.S. Secret Service is scheduled to meet with Trump’s security and staff on Friday. The Secret Service officers assigned the former president will then develop a plan regarding his travels and appearance at the arraignment.
A second source close to Trump claims that “James Trusty” knows Special Counsel Jack Smith and will work with Trump’s co-counsel John Rowley, attorney Lindsey Halligan, and the next legal maneuver. This is expected to be either a formal questioning of the Special Counsel regarding Jay Bratt (the DOJ’s chief of counterintelligence). Bratt has been accused of prosecutorial malpractice by the lawyer who represents a witness.
What can Blanche, the newly hired (for the matter), bring to the table today? Possible a coherent strategy, as the former President squares off with multiple indictments coming from multiple jurisdictions. Blanche was hired in April by Trump to represent him in the case of Alvin Bragg, Manhattan’s DA.
Todd Blanche is a former federal prosecutor and top criminal defense attorney who has been hired by former President Donald Trump to be his lead counsel in the criminal case brought against him by the Manhattan District Attorney.
Blanche is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office. She has represented Trump’s allies Paul Manafort and Igor Fruman. Fruman was a Rudi Giuliani associate who pleaded guilty to a case involving campaign finance brought by Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office.
In particular, Blanche’s representation of Manafort may have caught Trump’s eye. Blanche led the successful effort to get mortgage fraud and other charges brought by the Manhattan district attorney’s office dropped after arguing they would amount to double jeopardy because the state charges covered the same conduct for which Manafort had already been tried on a federal level.
