Trump Strikes Deal With Law Firm That Partners With Doug Emhoff

This marks the third law firm to reach an agreement with Trump who has recently suspended security clearances for lawyers from several other firms.

Signage is seen at the legal offices of the law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher in New York City, on May 19, 2021. Andrew Kelly/Reuters

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he had struck a deal with the law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher, whose partners include Doug Emhoff, the husband of former Vice President Kamala Harris.

Under the agreement, Willkie Farr will provide $100 million in free legal services to causes backed by both the firm and the Trump administration, including assisting veterans and other public servants, ensuring fairness in the U.S. justice system, and combatting anti-Semitism.

In a Truth Social post, Trump stated that the firm committed to “merit-based hiring, promotion, and retention,” ensuring it will not engage in diversity, equity, and inclusion-based practices.

Willkie Farr also affirmed that it will not discriminate against job candidates based on their political beliefs and will not deny representation to clients because of its lawyers’ personal political views.

This marks the third law firm to reach an agreement with Trump, who has also in recent weeks issued executive orders suspending security clearances for lawyers at other major firms, including Jenner & Block and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison (Paul Weiss).

Willkie Farr’s chairman, Thomas Cerabino, said in a statement shared by Trump that the substance of the agreement “is consistent with our firm’s views on access to legal representation by clients.”

“The Firm looks forward to having a constructive relationship with the Trump Administration, and remains committed to serving the needs of our clients, our employees, and the communities of which we are a part,” Cerabino stated.

Trump’s post also included a White House statement saying that Willkie Farr had “proactively” reached out to the president to offer “their decisive commitment to ending the Weaponization of the Justice System and the Legal Profession.”

Apart from Emhoff, the firm’s partners include Timothy Heaphy, who served as chief investigative counsel for the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. The firm also represented two former Georgia election workers in a successful defamation lawsuit against former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who falsely accused the workers of manipulating the 2020 ballot.

The Epoch Times has reached out to both Willkie Farr and Emhoff for comment and did not receive a response by publication time.

On March 28, another law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom reached an agreement with Trump to provide $100 million in pro bono legal services “during the Trump administration and beyond” for mutually supported causes.

Paul Weiss also brokered a deal with the White House on March 20 to provide $40 million in free legal services for similar causes. In return, the administration rescinded an order similar to those targeting Jenner & Block and WilmerHale—both of which have sued the administration alleging that Trump’s order violates the Constitution’s protections for free speech and due process.

In issuing the orders last month, Trump said the firms were involved in activities that “undermine justice and the interests of the United States.” He accused Jenner & Block and WilmerHale of engaging in “obvious partisan representations to achieve political ends” and supporting “the obstruction of efforts to prevent illegal aliens from committing horrific crimes and trafficking deadly drugs within our borders.”

Both firms were linked to former special counsel Robert Mueller, who had previously investigated allegations of cooperation between Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russian actors. The probe ultimately found no evidence that they conspired to influence the election.

Two federal judges have partially granted the law firms’ requests to block portions of Trump’s directives from taking effect. WilmerHale’s request to block a section that suspended security clearances held by its lawyers was denied by a judge.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.