WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he had reached an agreement with law firm Milbank, deepening a divide within the legal industry over how to respond to the administration’s pressure campaign to punish perceived enemies in the profession.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said Milbank approached him about a possible deal. The terms require the firm to perform $100 million in pro bono legal services on causes such as helping veterans and combating antisemitism.
The deal comes after the Trump administration targeted major law firms with ties to attorneys who have investigated Trump or which have been involved in challenges to his policies have been targeted with executive orders aimed at restricting their business with the federal government.
Law firms Perkins Coie, WilmerHale and Jenner & Block have asked U.S. judges in Washington to block Trump’s executive orders against them. The firms have asserted the orders are retaliatory and violated U.S. constitutional protections for free speech and due process.
Two U.S. judges on Friday temporarily blocked key parts of Trump’s orders targeting Jenner & Block and Wilmer Hale.
Three other firms – Paul Weiss, Skadden Arps and Willkie Farr – reached similar accords in recent weeks to either rescind or avoid a similar sanction.
Trump’s post announcing the deal quoted Milbank Chairman Scott Edelman as saying the agreement is consistent with the firm’s values.
“After a constructive dialogue with President Trump’s Administration, Milbank is pleased that we were so quickly able to find common ground,” Edelman was quoted as saying.
A Milbank representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Jasper Ward, Mike Scarcella, Sara Merken, David Thomas and Jack Queen; Writing by Luc Cohen Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
Comments