Trump Says He’s ‘Gotta Be Doing Something Right’ Because Law Firms Are Giving Him ‘A Lot of Money’
AP Photo/Paul Sancya
President Donald Trump says he is doing a good job, as evidenced by the fact that major law firms are caving to him.
In recent weeks, Trump has issued several executive orders targeting several firms that have employed lawyers who worked for his political opponents. The president sought to revoke any federal contracts the firms had, as well as their security clearances. The latter measure would effectively bar the firms’ employees from government buildings to review sensitive material. Four firms opted to fight back. Others, however, capitulated. As part of their deals, the cavers agreed to provide millions in pro bono work for the Trump administration.
In an interview with TIME magazine, Trump told Eric Cortellessa that these results are signs of success:
CORTELLESSA: You’ve used threats and lawsuits, other forms of coercion
TRUMP: Well, I’ve gotta be doing something right, because I’ve had a lot of law firms give me a lot of money.
CORTELLESSA: Why is that an appropriate use of presidential power?
TRUMP: Well, I think it is because I think they felt that the election was rigged and stolen and they didn’t want to be a part of it. You think they gave me $100 million each for nothing? You know these law firms gave me $100 million worth of work, et cetera, and other things. And do you think they gave me that because I’m a nice guy? I don’t think so. They gave it to me because they knew what they did wrong and they didn’t want to get involved with it. And that’s okay. That’s the way it works, unfortunately.
CORTELLESSA: But that is an appropriate use of presidential power, you think?
TRUMP: Which is?
CORTELLESSA: The threats and the EOs against the law firms.
TRUMP: They pay–these are the top firms in the world. These are the biggest, the best: Cravath, Milbank Tweed, Paul Weiss. These are the toughest, smartest firms. They don’t, they don’t do this unless there’s a little problem or a big problem.
CORTELLESSA: Isn’t cutting a deal with them to remove a threat from you and to do pro bono work for causes you like just a form of extortion?
TRUMP: I don’t think it was a threat. I think they did that because, I assume they did it because they felt they did something wrong. Otherwise they would have, we would have had a lawsuit.
On Wednesday, Perkins Coie and WilmerHale – both of which Trump targeted – asked separate judges to permanently block the president’s executive orders against them.
“The entire executive order is retaliatory,” a lawyer for Perkins Coie argued in court.
