{"id":10363,"date":"2025-03-25T10:39:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T02:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=10363"},"modified":"2025-03-25T10:39:05","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T02:39:05","slug":"trump-tells-doj-to-fight-frivolous-lawyers-in-memo-slammed-as-despicable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=10363","title":{"rendered":"Trump tells DOJ to fight ‘frivolous’ lawyers in memo slammed as ‘despicable’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2013 President Donald Trump<\/a> has directed the Justice Department to investigate “frivolous” lawsuits against the administration<\/a>, but some lawyers say he’s trying to intimidate them and attack the rule of law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump<\/a> cited \u201crampant fraud and meritless claim\u201d in immigration cases in a memo Friday to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem<\/a>. And he specifically criticized lawyer Marc Elias for representing his rival Hillary Clinton in 2016, when a dossier of derogatory information was gathered about Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump directed Bondi to seek sanctions against lawyers \u201cwho engage in frivolous, unreasonable, and vexatious litigation against the United States.\u201d And if she identifies misconduct by lawyers, Trump said, he could terminate their security clearances and government contracts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just think the law firms have to behave themselves,\u201d Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday. \u201cThey\u2019ve behaved very badly and very wrongly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several lawyers, including Elias<\/a>, responded Saturday that they wouldn\u2019t be intimidated from fighting for democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPresident Trump is attempting to dismantle the Constitution and attack the rule of law in his obsessive pursuit of retribution against his political opponents,\u201d Elias said. \u201cPresident Trump\u2019s goal is clear. He wants lawyers and law firms to capitulate and cower until there is no one left to oppose his Administration in court.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Marc Elias, attorney for Democratic senatorial candidate Al Franken, DFL-Minn., speaks to reporters after the Minnesota State Canvassing Board declared Franken winner of the U.S. senate race against Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., by 225 votes after a 62-day ballot recount in St. Paul, Minnesota, January 5, 2009.\u00a9\u00a0Eric Miller, REUTERS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Trump escalates fight with law firms opposing the administration<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The clash is the latest legal dispute between Trump and legal forces he contends are arrayed against him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump suspended the security clearances<\/a> of firms that worked against him in the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump and his adviser Elon Musk<\/a> have called for the impeachment of judges who have blocked his latest policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an unusual step last week, Supreme Court<\/a> Chief Justice John Roberts rebuked their call <\/a>for impeachments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Signage is seen outside of the law firm Perkins Coie at their legal offices in Washington, D.C., on May 10, 2021.\u00a9\u00a0Andrew Kelly, REUTERS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In other actions, Trump revoked the security clearances of staffers at the law firm Perkins Coie for working with Clinton. The firm is fighting in court to preserve lawyers’ access to federal buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the law firm of Paul Weiss agreed to perform $40 million in free legal work<\/a> on \u201cmutually agreed projects\u201d in exchange for Trump withdrawing an executive order targeting the law firm’s contracts<\/a> and employee security clearances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump: Ethics rules call for sanctions of unethical lawyers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Trump said \u201cgrossly unethical misconduct are far too common,\u201d accusing Elias of trying to alter the outcome of the 2016 election through fraud. Elias often represents Democratic interests in challenging Republican election rules and policies he contends are aimed at discouraging turnout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump argued that Clinton and others disseminated false and harmful information about him during the 2016 campaign. He cited a dossier assembled by a former British intelligence officer, Christopher Steele<\/a>, which contained salacious and unconfirmed allegations<\/a> that Trump colluded with Russia to win that election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steele had been hired by Fusion GPS, a private investigations company, which was paid by Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee. Investigations about the dossier discredited many of central allegations<\/a> and the credibility of of Steele\u2019s sources<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump also accused immigration lawyers of coaching clients to \u201clie about their circumstances when asserting asylum claims.\u201d The president has made strict enforcement of immigration laws a keystone of his administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order on cryptocurrencies, in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington, on Jan. 23, 2025.\u00a9\u00a0Kevin Lamarque, REUTERS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Trump cited court rules that prohibit lawyers from engaging in unethical conduct or filing arguments that harass or cause unnecessary delays in litigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen these commands are violated, opposing parties are authorized to file a motion for sanctions,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump memo called ‘despicable’<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Damon Hewitt, president of the nonprofit Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said in a statement Saturday that weaponizing the legal system to intimidate and silence lawyers is \u201ca dangerous manipulation<\/a> of the rule of law and a subversion of democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawyers \u201cshould not be targets of political witch hunts and political retribution,\u201d Hewitt said. \u201cThey should not be punished for doing their jobs. And the advocates among us should not be punished for winning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ryan Barack of the firm Kwall Barack Nadeau issued a statement called Trump\u2019s memo \u201ctargeting attorneys who dare to challenge unlawful actions is a direct threat to the rule of law<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is meant to intimidate law firms like ours and to discourage the kind of advocacy we have practiced for years: principled, fearless and rooted in justice,\u201d Barack said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The law firm Keker, Van Nest and Peters recently sued the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection and Border Patrol on behalf of United Farm Workers and residents of Kern County, California. The lawsuit accuses the administration of unlawfully deporting more than 40 clients to Mexico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawyers John Keker, Robert Van Nest, Elliot Peters and Laurie Carr Mims issued a joint statement saying the president and attorney general don’t understand the country\u2019s \u201cConstitution and bedrock values.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAn attack on lawyers who perform this work is inexcusable and despicable,\u201d the statement said. \u201cOur profession owes every client zealous legal representation without fear of retribution, regardless of their political affiliation or ability to pay.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON \u2013 President Donald Trump has directed the Justice Department to investigate “frivolous” lawsuits against the administration, but some lawyers say he’s trying to intimidate them and attack the rule of law. Trump cited \u201crampant fraud and meritless claim\u201d in immigration cases in a memo Friday to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. And he specifically […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":10364,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[3215,3212,1724],"class_list":["post-10363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-usa","tag-frivolous","tag-lawyers","tag-trump"],"yoast_head":"\nTrump tells DOJ to fight 'frivolous' lawyers in memo slammed as 'despicable' - LISTEN WORLD<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/?p=10363\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Trump tells DOJ to fight 'frivolous' lawyers in memo slammed as 'despicable' - LISTEN WORLD\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"WASHINGTON \u2013 President Donald Trump has directed the Justice Department to investigate “frivolous” lawsuits against the administration, but some lawyers say he’s trying to intimidate them and attack the rule of law. 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