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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhy Trump has struggled to assemble a legal team
By Annie Linskey GLOBE STAFF APRIL 21, 2018
WASHINGTON When President Richard Nixon got into legal trouble, a team of top lawyers signed up to represent him. And as Bill Clinton found himself staring down a grand jury, another crop of elite attorneys stood at his side.
But the lure of representing the most powerful man in the world isnt appealing to this generations cadre of top white-collar criminal defense attorneys: Twelve partners from a total of seven firms have said no to President Trumps entreaties to help him navigate the special counsels probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
Being turned down time and again led Trump to pick former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani this week, turning to a former presidential candidate and one-time US attorney who was known for his at times imprecise but often effective advocacy of Trump on the campaign trail in 2016. Trump also brought on board a relatively obscure husband-and-wife team of former federal prosecutors with a white-collar criminal defense practice in South Florida.
Its hard to call it a dream team.
Rudy Giuliani has always been available, said Roger Cossack, a former California prosecutor and legal analyst on TV. Hiring Rudy Giuliani only underlines Trumps dilemma in finding a lawyer who will work for him.
The other two new hires, Jane and Martin Raskin, both have experience as federal prosecutors, he as an assistant US attorney in New Jersey, she as first assistant US attorney in Massachusetts. (Her Boston ties go further: A graduate of Wellesley College, she went to Boston College Law School.) But they are new players on the nations largest stage, and dont have the typical profile for the defense of a president contending with a sprawling federal investigation. The couples recent headline-grabbing cases include successfully defending an ICE agent accused of trying to shake down a drug organization, and representing a woman accused of submitting false claims to Medicare and Medicaid.
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https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2018/04/21/why-most-powerful-man-world-has-struggled-assemble-legal-team/hnXwFeot3YmytSVt9bNAyH/story.html?event=event25
FairDemocrat
(82 posts)I got to go back to Ronald Reagans 30 year plan over rebuilding America. Open forum networks to compete with the news media. I am pretty sure they created a law in 1987 that allowed the networks like Fox and Talk Radio to come to be...Fox came on the scene in 1990 I believe..Fox only played cartoons and Leave it to Beaver, and Gomer Pyle...I could find the link to law the Reagans passed that allowed this mess, but what is the point now. Democrats have to step their game up.
FakeNoose
(32,714 posts)Ronald Reagan was responsible for ending the Fairness Doctrine (an FCC requirement) that made every TV news station responsible for providing "equal time" for both sides of every issue. E.g. the Democrats get to have equal time to answer a speech by a Republican president, etc.
Once the Fairness Doctrine ended, news outlets like Fox News were allowed to exist that provided only conservative viewpoints on every issue. Nowadays they've taken it even further - they tell nothing but lies and nobody can demand equal time to present the truth. It's a shame on our democracy and an insult to liberty.
PoliticAverse
(26,366 posts)dlk
(11,575 posts)Trump has a long, documented history of stiffing nearly everyone, as is typical with con artists. Lawyers won't represent someone if there's even a hint they won't get paid. Trump did this to himself.
no_hypocrisy
(46,158 posts)(pro bono).
As we all know, NOTHING is free. Giuliani is expecting to collect a marker from Trump when Giuliani chooses. (IOW, a big favor)
Trump's mentor, Roy Cohn, was famous for this: he'd collect markers and call them in without warning. The markers were usually worth more than the money value of the services rendered.
OK, now you're thinking that Trump can stiff Giuliani and not give the marker. No prob! Giuliani has known Trump for nearly 40 years and knows where the bodies are buried. A couple of phonecalls, and there will be enforcement.