Veteran Washington, D.C., lawyers are reluctant to join President Donald Trump's legal defense team — concerned he will either not ask for their advice — or ignore it, The New York Times Magazine reported.
Brendan Sullivan, who represented Oliver North, and Ted Olson, who was Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard's attorney, are among "the veterans of Washington scandals" who have rejected overtures to join the president's legal defense team, the Times reported.
"There are folks who come to you because you have a certain expertise and folks who come to you because they have already figured out what they want and need, and they want to use you as a dinner fork," Robert Luskin, who represented former President George W. Bush's senior adviser Karl Rove in the Valerie Plame investigation, told the Times.
Instead of Capital Beltway legal pros, the Times reported those who have signed on to be on Trump's legal team have "one irreducible character trait" — they are willing to work for a client "who often either doesn't solicit their advice or simply ignores it . . ." and who regularly goes off script, saying things that could compromise his legal position or undermine a case.
So far, they include New York lawyer Marc Kasowitz — hired to help Trump navigate the multiple investigations into Russian election meddling — who was among the attorneys to defend ousted Fox News host Bill O'Reilly as he faced sexual harassment allegations, the Times noted; and Jay Sekulow — also hired by Trump to help with the Russia probes — who is a backer of Christian conservative causes and hosts a syndicated talk radio show.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.