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Donald Trump has signed an executive order targeting Jenner & Bullock, a law firm with ties to former prosecutors who investigated allegations of conspiracy between Russia and his first presidential campaign.
The White House on Tuesday said Jenner & Bullock was “yet another law firm that abandoned the highest ideals of the profession” and “tolerated partisan ‘laws’.” The order said that Andrew Weissman, a former partner at the company, “worked with partisan prosecutors as part of a completely unfair investigation of Robert Mueller.”
Weissman, a former senior Justice Department and FBI official, worked with his then-specialized adviser Mueller on a federal investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The investigation found no evidence of conspiracy.
The order reflects other recent directives targeting major law firms, asking federal agencies to suspend security clearances and review or terminate government contracts with businesses or businesses.
Tuesday’s order also said Jenner & Bullock “abused its pro bono practices to engage in activities that undermine justice and US interests.”
A Jenner & Block spokesperson said: “We have defined our company for over 100 years and focused on serving and protecting the interests of our clients with dedication, integrity and expertise in pursuing all the right remedies.”
Weissman did not immediately respond to requests for comment. He is a professor at NYU Law School and teaches national security law and criminal litigation.
Trump has issued similar executive orders to Paul Weiss and Perkins Koy. The administration also issued directives against Covington & Burling, but its scope was more limited.
The move has brought cold to the entire country’s legal sector as businesses compete to develop contingency plans in case they are next in line to be targeted by the White House. Top Trump adviser and donor Elon Musk picked out New York’s Skaden Arks in a post on Sunday’s X, raising speculation that it could be next.
Paul Weiss was the first law firm to sign a direct contract with Trump after receiving a massive executive order that said it had hindered his business. The company’s longtime chairman, Brad Carp, negotiated a deal that included providing $40 million in pro bono legal services to help the administration back, including fighting anti-Semitism and supporting veterans.
Jenner & Block has a historic affiliation with the Democrats and the Progressive Cause. It has a well-known practice representing Native American tribes, and has also secured the release of detainees in Guantanamo Bay.
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The order comes as the Trump administration rails against perceived enemies of the entire American legal system, including “Biden-era” US lawyers, judges who controlled the government, and prosecutors who investigated the president.
Faced with four criminal charges at the state and federal levels, Trump intensified his attacks on lawyers, calling his perceived enemy “vicious” in a rare presidential speech at the Justice Department earlier this month, where he named Weissman.
The Paul Weiss deal appears to only fuel Trump’s attacks on the industry. While speaking at the White House on Monday, Trump said “some people want to make a settlement.” He added that law firms “have to act on their own.”
