Donald Trump has a real problem with attorneys. First of all, he actually believes that he is smarter than they are, so he does not listen to their advice. Now, things have begun to get critical.
In addition, the president has a notorious record of not paying his legal representatives and speaking out when he should not. Trump just contacted his personal attorney, Michael Cohen.
The special counsel on the investigation into Russia attacking the 2016 presidential election and possible links to Trump, Robert Mueller, just referred a case to the Southern New York attorney general. The AG raided Cohen’s office and temporary residence.
In what world was it okay for Trump to call Cohen? No wonder his attorneys have been jumping ship, and other ones treat the president as radioactive. Attorney John Dowd most recently left the president’s personal team.
It seems yet another white-collar attorney took a pass on representing the president of these United States. Under any other circumstances, they would be knocking down the Oval Office Door.
Trump’s people most recently contacted New York attorney, Steven Molo. The attorney is a prosecutor specializing in white-collar defense. He named an unidentified “conflict” as his excuse, which was lawyer-speak for avoiding a too-difficult client. Molo said, CNN reported:
‘I regret a current conflict related to the investigation prevents me from representing the President at this time.’
Now more than ever, the commander-in-chief needs a strong white-collar defense team to represent him. Mueller has tightened the circle around the president, and Trump has been acting like a caged, enraged bull.
There is a long list of attorneys who have denied the president’s request to represent him. According to CNN, those included:
‘Former US Solicitor General Ted Olson; Emmet Flood, who’s worked for multiple presidents; Robert Bennett, Bill Clinton’s attorney in the Paula Jones litigation; and Bob Giuffra, of Sullivan & Cromwell.’
Attorney Ted Boutrous tweeted confirmation that Olson was out:
‘I can confirm that @gibsondunn and Theodore B. Olson will not be representing @realDonaldTrump‘
Partners at Winston & Strawn, Tom Buchanan and Dan Webb, said that Trump had asked them to come aboard. It seemed they, too, had business conflicts. The president was hot to take on television attorneys,  Joseph di Genova and Victoria Toensing. They, too, had conflicts.
What other reasons would Trump have for selecting Molo? The various attorneys’ experience tells what the president had anticipated as defense.
Molo has had extensive courtroom experience. Ironically, the attorney went up against 45 in 2008, when the president was still CEO of a real-estate development company. Trump sued Deutsche Bank in an attempt to avoid paying the $40 million construction loan he had personally guaranteed. Molo represented the bank.
In a genius play during his defense against the real estate developer, Molo quoted Trump’s own words from a book he wrote:
‘I turned it on the banks and let them accept some of the blame. I figured it was the bank’s problem not mine.’
Trump and Deutsche Bank reached an out-of-court settlement. That is standard for 90 percent of legal lawsuits.
One of Trump’s few remaining attorneys, Jay Sekulow, refused to comment.
