Democratic lawmakers press more law firms about their deals with Trump

By David Thomas

April 22 (Reuters) - Democratic lawmakers said on Tuesday that they are pressing more of the largest U.S. law firms to reveal information about the deals they made with President Donald Trump to avoid executive orders targeting their businesses.

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland criticized the deals in letters sent on Friday to A&O Shearman; Cadwalader; Kirkland & Ellis; Latham & Watkins; and Simpson Thacher. The lawmakers publicly disclosed the letters on Tuesday.

Trump announced on April 11 that those five firms reached deals with him requiring them to shun diversity-based employment practices the administration deems illegal and work on pro bono projects approved by him.

Nine firms in all have pledged a total of $940 million in pro bono legal work to the Trump administration. Blumenthal, the ranking member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and Raskin, the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, sent letters earlier this month to Milbank; Paul Weiss; Skadden Arps; and Willkie Farr about their respective deals with Trump.

The lawmakers also sent letters on April 6 to Sullivan & Cromwell, which is representing Trump in a criminal case in New York state court, and Kirkland, which had not yet reached its own deal with Trump.

A Blumenthal spokesperson said Skadden and the White House Counsel's Office, which also received a letter asking about the law firm deals, never replied.

Spokespersons from the nine firms that reached deals with Trump, and Sullivan & Cromwell, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Kirkland; and Sullivan & Cromwell told Blumenthal and Raskin that the lawmakers' letters falsely alleged that they tried to lure away partners from Paul Weiss after that firm was hit with an executive order. The firms' responses were shared with Reuters.

Kirkland; Paul Weiss; and Willkie Farr each said that their agreements with Trump do not force them to relinquish control over the cases they handle. Milbank referred the lawmakers to its internal memo that has been published in legal press.

Blumenthal and Raskin criticized the responses from Kirkland; Milbank; Paul Weiss; Sullivan & Cromwell; and Willkie as "inadequate" in a joint statement on Tuesday.

"These responses only deepen our concern about what conditions are in place to coerce these firms into providing free legal services to the president’s pet causes – and what other provisions of their agreement these firms may be hiding," Blumenthal and Raskin said.

Trump has accused law firms of "weaponizing" the legal system, citing their connections to his legal and political adversaries and their work on cases he opposes related to voting rights and other issues.

Four law firms — Perkins Coie; Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr; Jenner & Block; and Susman Godfrey — have sued the administration over the executive orders, which sought to cancel their contracts with the government and block their attorneys from accessing federal buildings and officials. Judges have blocked key provisions of the orders.