BURSTDemocratic state attorneys general blasted President Trump’s actions against law firms and judges he deems unfriendly in a joint letter Wednesday, urging other lawyers to avoid kowtowing to the White House's threats.
"We cannot allow the President to scare law firms and lawyers into silence," more than a dozen Democrats serving as chief legal officers in their states wrote in the letter. "It is up to us as lawyers, law firms and state attorneys general — as the entire community of the legal establishment — to refuse to bow to intimidation."
Since his return to office in January, Trump has set his sights on major law firms with ties to his critics and others responsible for perceived wrongs against him through the years.
Trump suggested last week that firms "all want to make deals" to appease his concerns.
"Those law firms did bad things. Bad things," Trump told reporters Friday in the Oval Office. "They went after me for years."
Trump has signed multiple executive orders revoking security clearances, government contracts and access to government buildings for attorneys at major law firms with ties to lawyers who represented Democrats or worked on cases against Trump.
The Jenner & Block law firm became the latest target this week. It previously employed a former federal prosecutor who worked with then-special counsel Robert Mueller — a top Trump foe — on his probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Trump often refers to the investigation as the "Russia hoax" or mockingly as "Russia, Russia, Russia."
The White House accused Jenner & Block of "weaponization of the legal system against American principles and values."
Covington & Burling, a firm providing pro bono services to former special counsel Jack Smith, previously received similar rebuke from Trump. Smith led federal criminal cases against Trump over the alleged mishandling of classified documents and the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Trump also has penalized Perkins Coie, a firm that worked for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's campaign in 2016 and was involved in political opposition research on Trump.
Separately, Trump has supported calls for the impeachment of federal judges who have blocked his administration on some efforts, including a migrant deportation plan and the mass firing of federal workers. The Democratic officials who signed Wednesday's letter wrote that they "condemn and reject suggestions that impeachment is an appropriate response to a judicial ruling."
"We will not allow anyone, including the President, to bully law firms out of representing clients who may be politically disfavored, or clients out of being represented by counsel of their choosing," the Democratic attorneys general wrote in the letter. "We will not sit by silently in the face of attempts to attack and intimidate the federal judiciary. We will not allow the rule of law to be undermined."
The White House didn't immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment on the letter.