It's unprecedented, folks, and that's not an exaggeration. Donald Trump cannot find a lawyer in Washington who is willing to take on what would ordinarily be the pinnacle of one's legal career: representing the president of the United States in a sweeping investigation involving money, spies and international intrigue. CNN writes:
Several top US law firms have left President Donald Trump with few places to turn for legal help in the Russia probe.
Five large law firms are passing on the opportunity to represent the President after a shakeup last week on his private defense team and as he anticipates giving possible testimony to special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. [...]
The latest to turn down the invitation, Dan Webb and Tom Buchanan of the law firm Winston & Strawn, said Tuesday they "were unable to take on the representation due to business conflicts." [...] "However they consider the opportunity to represent the President to be the highest honor and they sincerely regret that they cannot do so," Webb and Buchanan's statement said.
Run! Run for your lives and livelihoods! Their firm has a legit conflict in that they represent a Ukrainian oligarch connected to former Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort. Still, many of these rejections have more of a "Phew!" whiff to them than a "Darn!" dynamic. The stream of nays has left Trump with just two lawyers handling one of the most consequential and intricate investigations of a president in modern American history. Jay Sekulow, who has no experience in criminal defense, is representing Trump personally in the probe, while Ty Cobb serves as the special counsel overseeing the inquiry in the White House.
When asked who would lead Trump's legal defense team on Tuesday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said that "the President has a highly qualified team."
Of two, that is.