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Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting Jenner & Block, a legal firm with links to a former prosecutor who investigated claims of clashes between Russia and his first presidential campaign, in recent government broadcasts against the legal industry.
The White House on Tuesday said that Jenner & Block was “another legal firm that has abandoned the highest ideals of the profession” and had “condensed the Partizan” law “”. The order said that Andrew Weissmann, a former partner of the firm, engaged in “Partisan prosecution as part of Robert Mueller’s completely unjustified investigation”.
A High Justice Department and FBI official Weissmann worked with the then special advisor Mueller on the Federal Investigation of Russian Interventions in the 2016 presidential election, which was finally won by Trump. The investigation found no colusion evidence.
The order reflected other recent directives aimed at large legal firms, asking federal agencies to suspend security clearances and review or terminate government contracts with firms or entities that do business with them.
Tuesday’s order also said Jenner & Block “abused his pro -bono practice to be involved in activities that undermine justice and the interests of the United States”, citing those who seemed to challenge the positions of the immigration administration and transgender issues.
A spokesman for Jenner & Block said: “We remain focused on the service and preservation of our clients’ interests with the dedication, integrity and expertise that has set our firm for more than 100 years and will follow all appropriate remedies.”
Weissmann did not immediately respond to a comment request. He is a professor at the NYU law school, learning the law of national security and criminal procedure.
Trump has issued similar executive orders against Paul Weiss and Coie Perkins. The administration also issued a directive against Covington & Burling, though its purpose was more limited.
The movements have sent a cold to the country’s legal sector, as firms compete to design emergency plans if they are in line to be targeted by the White House. Trump’s high advisor and donor Elon Musk singled out New York’s Skadden Arps in a post on Sunday, raising speculation that it could be another.
Paul Weiss was the first legal firm to reach a direct agreement with Trump after entering a comprehensive executive order, which he said would prevent her business. The firm’s long chairman, Brad Karp, negotiated an agreement involving the provision of $ 40 million in pro -bono legal services for reasons that the administration supports, such as fighting anti -Semitism and supporting veterans.
Jenner & Block has had historical affiliation with Democrats and progressive causes. It has a well -known practice representing the local tribes of America and also secured the issuance of a detainee in the Gulf of Guantánamo.
The order comes as the Trump Binon administration against perceived opponents throughout the US legal system, including US lawyers of the “Biden era”, judges who have ruled against the government and prosecutors who have investigated the president.
Trump, who has faced four prosecution at the state and federal level, has intensified his attacks on lawyers, calling his perceived opponents “evil” during a rare presidential speech in the Department of Justice earlier this month, in which he also named Weissmann.
The deal with Paul Weiss has appeared only to further promote Trump’s attacks on the industry. While talking to the White House on Monday, Trump said there were “others who want to make a solution as well.” He added that legal firms “must behave on their own”.
