Big Law Firms are Removing References to Mueller to avoid Targets by Trump

Several prominent law firms such as Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison, WilmerHale, Cooley, and Davis Polk & Wardwell have removed references to their lawyers’ involvement in Robert Mueller’s investigation from their websites. This is a response of “appeasement” to prepare for being potentially targeted by Trump, who has a history of attacking those involved in investigations against him. The reaction of “appeasement” sets a dangerous precedent that Trump can intimidate law firms into overlooking his administration's criminal actions.

Trump has a history of going after individuals and firms he perceives as enemies, specifically those close to Robert Mueller’s investigation. His history of retaliation is reflected in his issuing of several actions. For example, Trump issued an executive order restricting government access for Paul Weiss, which was later rescinded after the firm agreed to provide forty million dollars in free legal services to support Trump’s agenda. Furthermore, the governmental agency EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) is also investigating diversity programs at WilmerHale and Cooley as a result of Trump’s dissolution of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) in corporations.

As a result of these targets and acts of “appeasement," Paul Weiss has since removed the mention of L.Rush Atkinson and his role of being the assistant special counsel to Mueller in his investigation. WilmerHale has removed Mueller’s biography page as well as any mention of the Mueller investigations from the pages of other lawyers such as James Quarles III and Aaron Zebley. Davis Polk & Wardwell have revised the webpages of Greg Andres and Uzo Asonue to omit any other references to the Mueller investigation. Lastly, the Cooley law firm has since removed a paragraph from lawyer Andrew Goldstein’s profile displaying his role as Robert Mueller’s “top deputy” in his investigation [1].

These acts of “Appeasement” are due to the fear of targeting from Trump as he has consistently criticized Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, including the outcome of that election. Robert Mueller is a lawyer, former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and served as Special Counsel from 2017 to 2019. During his examination, he investigated the potential coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian agents. During his investigation, Mueller found systematic efforts by Russia to influence the election through hacking DNC (Democratic National Committee) emails as well as social media campaigns to promote Trump over Clinton [2]. However, there was no conclusive evidence of a criminal conspiracy between Russia and Trump. However, several of Trump’s associates faced charges for unrelated crimes such as fraud or lying to investigators. These associates are notably Paul Manafort and Micheal Flynn. Furthermore, during Mueller’s investigation, he identified obstruction of justice by Trump because he pressured officials to end investigations. From these investigations, the 2019 Mueller Report was made which detailed Russian interference in the election but did not establish a criminal indictment [3]. 

While the immediate motivations of these law firms may be understandable from a business perspective, the broader implications for the legal profession and the rule of law are deeply troubling. The legal community must find ways to resist political intimidation and maintain its independence, even in the face of potential retaliation. Failure to do so could erode public trust in the legal system and compromise the ability of lawyers to serve as effective advocates for justice. In turn, this could weaken the checks and balances necessary for a functioning democracy.

Sources:

1. Big Law Firms Scrub Mueller References as Trump Targets ‘Enemies’, Bloomberg L. News (Nov. 18, 2019,
2. 1:24 PM), https://news.bloomberglaw.com/business-and-practice/big-law-firms-scrub-mueller-referencesas-trump-targets-enemies. Eric Tucker & Mary Clare Jalonick, Senate Panel Finds Russia Interfered in the 2016 U.S. Election, PBS (Aug.
3. 18, 2020, 4:48 PM), https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/senate-panel-finds-russia-interfered-in-the2016-us-election. Here's a Breakdown of Indictments and Cases in Mueller's Probe, ABC News (Mar. 15, 2019, 4:48 PM), https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/breakdown-indictments-cases-muellers-probe/story?id=61219489.