Trump hired a credible attorney, but he had to pay a lot upfront

[LetMyPeopleVote]

TFG's super pac paid $3 million to this attorney as a retainer

Link to tweet

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-hired-credible-attorney-pay-lot-upfront-rcna48109?cid=sm_npd_ms_tw_ma

As recently as a month ago, The Washington Post reported that the former president was represented by a legal defense team that includes a Florida insurance lawyer who’s never had a federal case, a past general counsel for a parking-garage company, and a former host from a propagandistic cable outlet. It was, by any fair measure, rather embarrassing.

Two weeks later, however, Trump secured the services of Chris Kise, Florida’s former solicitor general, and a credible legal professional who’s argued successfully before the U.S. Supreme Court. I joked at the time that I hope Kise was paid up front.

I was kidding — but evidently, Kise was not. Politico reported:

Donald Trump’s outside spending arm has paid $3 million to cover attorney Chris Kise’s legal work representing the former president, according to three people familiar with the arrangement. The $3 million paid by Save America PAC is a significant sum, and comes as Trump faces a number of federal and state probes that will require substantial legal help.

Though Politico’s report has not been independently confirmed by MSNBC or NBC News, The Wall Street Journal published a related article, noting that Kise “secured an upfront payment of $3 million.....

That said, if Politico’s reporting is accurate, the former president didn’t reach into his own pocket to pay the upfront invoice: The lawyer’s hefty fee is being paid by Trump’s Save America PAC — which, coincidentally, also appears to be drawing scrutiny from federal prosecutors.

Kise will reportedly represent the former president in both the Mar-a-Lago scandal and the Jan. 6 investigation. By all appearances, Trump needs the help

[louis-t]

1. Smart attorney. Now when tfg doesn't listen and screws up his own case

attorney still gets paid and can't be blamed.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

2. So, he's paid with the 'Stop the Steal' money ... to defend IQ45 from theft charges?

How ... paradoxical.

[Demsrule86]

3. Christ Kise is not a good attorney as he is a registered foreign agent for Venezuela.

[musclecar6]

4. Well

Of course, the Con man, liar and a cheat is so proud of himself when he cons other people out of their money to pay for something other than what they thought they were paying for.

Then he laughs at them for being such stupid fools. A man with no redeeming qualities. Not a single one.

[getagrip_already]

5. He appears to be more of an adviser to tfg's other attorneys.....

Smart move. He isnt going to stick his neck out.

But either he is coming up to speed or is staying in the background. He doesn't seem to be leading the arguments or responses.

It could be why the lawyers aren't claiming the docs were declassified. He can't prove it so he isn't going claim it.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

6. Trump is 'quiet quitting' special master case after making 'terrible blunder': legal expert

The sideling of TFG's $3 million lawyer and the failure to hire a data vendor makes sense if you understand that TFG have given up on the Special Master litigation. The 11th Circuit killed the underlying premise of that case by holding that declassification is a red herring in that TFG would never be entitled to the documents in question even if they were declassified.

TFG is not going to find any attorney who will lie for TFG and make the dumb arguments that TFG has made.

Link to tweet

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-legal-blunder/

Former general counsel of the FBI Andrew Weissmann explained why he thinks Donald Trump is "quiet quitting" his special master case.
Weissmann, alongside former Deputy Assistant Attorney General Harry Litman was interviewed by MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell.

Special master Raymond Dearie ordered Trump's lawyers to secure a document vendor, but in a Tuesday legal filing, the Department of Justice said none of the five major firms want to work for Trump, so the federal government guaranteed payment.

"I think there is something we can take away from what seems like a small potatoes kind of thing," Weissmann said. "I think what Donald Trump is doing is quiet quitting. He brought this case and he realized he is worse off from having brought this case."

Weissman noted reports attorney Chris Kise left only weeks after being paid $3 million.