Trump's Legal Team Gets Major Shakeup as Two Key Members Unexpectedly Resign
Former President Donald Trump appears to be cleaning house after parting ways with two of his top attorneys and quickly announcing their replacement.
This comes as Trump faces a federal indictment for retaining classified documents after leaving office.
Trump announced the shakeup on Friday morning, writing in a Truth Social post: “For purposes of fighting the Greatest Witch Hunt of all time, now moving to the Florida Courts, I will be represented by Todd Blanche, Esq., and a firm to be named later.”
He then thanked his now-former attorneys, Jim Trusty and John Rowley, “for their work … against a very dishonest, corrupt, evil, and ‘sick’ group of people, the likes of which has not been seen before.”
“We will be announcing additional lawyers in the coming days,” he said, adding: “When will Joe Biden be Indicted for his many crimes against our Nation? MAGA!”
Not long after, Trusty and Rowley announced their resignation from Trump’s legal team in a joint statement.
“This morning we tendered our resignations as counsel to President Trump, and we will no longer represent him on either the indicted case or the January 6 investigation,” the statement read. “It has been an honor to have spent the last year defending him, and we know he will be vindicated in his battle against the Biden Administration’s partisan weaponization of the American justice system.”
“Now that the case has been filed in Miami, this is a logical moment for us to step aside and let others carry the cases through to completion,” they wrote, adding that they won’t be discussing their withdrawal in any media appearances.
They say it’s because of the move to Miami but this was not planned as of yesterday. pic.twitter.com/Fe7PKGnPBj
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) June 9, 2023
The night before announcing his resignation, Trusty appeared on CNN, where he was asked who would be representing Trump at his upcoming court date.
“We’ll see. It’ll make some excitement to see who shows up to the table on Tuesday, I guess,” Trusty told Kaitlan Collins of CNN.
Trump attorney Jim Trusty joins for his first interview since Trump was indicted. There is:
— An Espionage Act charge
— Several obstruction-based charges
— False statement charges
— Is there a conspiracy charge in here? “I believe so, I don’t have it in front of me right now.” pic.twitter.com/8zOCynIygB— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) June 9, 2023
Trump’s (now former) attorney Jim Trusty last night on which legal team would be with him Tuesday: “We’ll see. It’ll make some excitement to see who shows up to the table on Tuesday, I guess.” pic.twitter.com/52vt8Dryma
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) June 9, 2023
Trump’s new attorney, Blanche, is a white-collar criminal defense lawyer who previously served as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, according to the Washington Examiner.
He was first asked to join Trump’s legal team in April as the former president was facing charges of fraud in relation to the alleged hush-money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.
“I have been asked to represent Trump in the recently charged DA case, and after much thought/consideration, I have decided it is the best thing for me to do and an opportunity I should not pass up,” Blanche said in a statement to Politico at the time.
Another lawyer Trump may soon be bringing into his legal team is Benedict Kuehne, who CNN reports is under consideration.
Trump is currently facing charges of obstruction of justice, conspiracy and illegal retention of classified documents. He is set to appear in court on Tuesday.
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