Updated
Updated · The Daily Beast · Jul 15
DOJ Subpoenas 9 Law Firms for Epshteyn Records as $1 Billion Trump Deals Face New Scrutiny
Updated
Updated · The Daily Beast · Jul 15

DOJ Subpoenas 9 Law Firms for Epshteyn Records as $1 Billion Trump Deals Face New Scrutiny

3 articles · Updated · The Daily Beast · Jul 15

Summary

  • Nine law firms received Justice Department subpoenas seeking all communications with Boris Epshteyn and records on how their White House agreements were implemented, enforced or monitored.
  • The department also wants to depose a top leader from each firm, a move people familiar with the matter said is meant to pressure firms after the American Bar Association sued over Trump's campaign against disfavored firms.
  • Epshteyn, Trump's personal lawyer but not a government employee, helped broker nearly $1 billion in pro bono commitments from firms after executive orders that critics and later a judge said were unlawful.
  • Four firms that fought the orders—Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block, WilmerHale and Susman Godfrey—won in court, and DOJ dropped its appeal in March; the new subpoenas reopen that conflict while a judge weighs the ABA's document request.

Insights

How does a recent Supreme Court ruling on presidential authority impact this battle between the administration and top law firms?