That sure didn’t take long. Two lawyers Donald Trump just “hired” a few days ago won’t be coming on board after all. The New York Times reports that Trump’s personal attorney issued a statement today saying:
“The president is disappointed that conflicts prevent Joe diGenova and Victoria Toensing from joining the president’s special counsel legal team,” Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer, Jay Sekulow, said in a statement on Sunday morning. “However, those conflicts do not prevent them from assisting the president in other legal matters. The president looks forward to working with them.”
What is especially odd about this news is it came just hours after Trump issued these tweets:
Many lawyers and top law firms want to represent me in the Russia case…don’t believe the Fake News narrative that it is hard to find a lawyer who wants to take this on. Fame & fortune will NEVER be turned down by a lawyer, though some are conflicted. Problem is that a new……
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 25, 2018
….lawyer or law firm will take months to get up to speed (if for no other reason than they can bill more), which is unfair to our great country – and I am very happy with my existing team. Besides, there was NO COLLUSION with Russia, except by Crooked Hillary and the Dems!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 25, 2018
This legal shuffle leaves a big void in Trump’s legal team fighting the Russia investigation.
Source writes to me of Joe di Genova: "He didn't even make it a Scaramucci!"
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) March 25, 2018
POTUS faces interview with all-star Mueller team .. without a lead lawyer and no one in the wings. Me and @jdawsey1 https://t.co/mIL62eka4P
— Carol Leonnig (@CarolLeonnig) March 25, 2018