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Law firm targeted by Trump could have been 'destroyed,' chairman says in explaining deal with Trump [View all]
Politics
Law firm targeted by Trump could have been ‘destroyed,’ chairman says in explaining deal with Trump
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President Donald Trump attends the finals at the NCAA wrestling championship, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
By ERIC TUCKER
Updated 7:55 PM EDT, March 23, 2025
WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of a prominent law firm who cut a deal with President Donald Trump last week to avert the consequences of a White House executive order told colleagues in an email Sunday that he did so because the order “could easily have destroyed our firm” and put it out of business.
The message from Brad Karp offers the most detailed public explanation yet about the decision to make significant concessions to the White House in the face of an executive order that targeted his firm, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Garrison & Wharton.
The order, the latest in a series of similar actions targeting law firms whose lawyers have performed legal work that Trump disagrees with, threatened the suspension of security clearances for Paul Weiss attorneys as well as the termination of any federal contracts involving the firm. It cited as an explanation the fact that a former Paul Weiss attorney, Mark Pomerantz, had been a central player in an investigation by the Manhattan district attorney’s office into Trump’s finances before Trump became president.
On Thursday evening, though, Trump announced that he had rescinded the March 14 order following a White House meeting with Karp. The White House said the firm had agreed to dedicate $40 million worth of free legal services to support certain Trump administration agenda items, including on countering antisemitism; to conduct an audit of its hiring practices and “not adopt, use, or pursue any DEI” policies; and to take on clients regardless of political affiliation.
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Associated Press writer Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report.
ERIC TUCKER
Tucker covers national security in Washington for The Associated Press, with a focus on the FBI and Justice Department.
Law firm targeted by Trump could have been ‘destroyed,’ chairman says in explaining deal with Trump
{snip picture}
President Donald Trump attends the finals at the NCAA wrestling championship, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
By ERIC TUCKER
Updated 7:55 PM EDT, March 23, 2025
WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of a prominent law firm who cut a deal with President Donald Trump last week to avert the consequences of a White House executive order told colleagues in an email Sunday that he did so because the order “could easily have destroyed our firm” and put it out of business.
The message from Brad Karp offers the most detailed public explanation yet about the decision to make significant concessions to the White House in the face of an executive order that targeted his firm, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Garrison & Wharton.
The order, the latest in a series of similar actions targeting law firms whose lawyers have performed legal work that Trump disagrees with, threatened the suspension of security clearances for Paul Weiss attorneys as well as the termination of any federal contracts involving the firm. It cited as an explanation the fact that a former Paul Weiss attorney, Mark Pomerantz, had been a central player in an investigation by the Manhattan district attorney’s office into Trump’s finances before Trump became president.
On Thursday evening, though, Trump announced that he had rescinded the March 14 order following a White House meeting with Karp. The White House said the firm had agreed to dedicate $40 million worth of free legal services to support certain Trump administration agenda items, including on countering antisemitism; to conduct an audit of its hiring practices and “not adopt, use, or pursue any DEI” policies; and to take on clients regardless of political affiliation.
{snip}
____
Associated Press writer Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this report.
ERIC TUCKER
Tucker covers national security in Washington for The Associated Press, with a focus on the FBI and Justice Department.
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