President Trump plans to announce a new deal with some of the country's top law firms, which demand that he provide legal assistance for some of his positive causes, according to those with knowledge of the issue.
At Cabinet meeting Thursday, Trump said four or five companies he didn't name would reach deals with the administration, each pledged to do $125 million worth of legal work on issues he supports. That amount stems the amount of pro bono work other companies agreed to provide under previous contracts.
Unlike previous transactions that Trump announced one at a time, each portrays criticism within the corporation and across the legal world, but the president is expected to announce several transactions as one collective concession from the industry. They spoke on condition of anonymity as they are not permitted to discuss private negotiations, like everyone else in this story.
It's unclear which companies will be next, but those with knowledge of the issue say Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett have been discussing with Trump's advisers recently. The top 20 companies by revenue did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
The latest gusts of Trump's deal's push for winds represents an escalation of his crackdown on the industry that has drawn his rage to his role in seeking to politically explain or oppose him and his allies.
Trump began chasing businesses last month by issuing financially punitive executive orders. The judge found that the order is likely to be unconstitutional, but Trump continues to impose them on some companies, but his advisors deal with other companies that agree to donate time to issues such as the fight against anti-Semitism.
The new deal could be announced soon this week, but those with knowledge of consultations warned that some companies have yet to decide whether to sign or not. The president has already traded with some of the industry's most prestigious names, Skadden Arps, Paul Weiss, Milbank, Willkie Farr & Gallagher.
Trump said some companies may be asked to support the trade deals the president is seeking, and he misrepresented the arrangement “he is “paying a large sum of money in the form of legal costs.” This week he was the second time he raised the question of using companies to help negotiate trade agreements, a highly specialized field of legal expertise.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
Initially, Trump was targeting several obvious targets. He supported businesses that sued his first administration, or various criminal investigations into his conduct. But increasingly, he is focusing on diversity efforts among prominent companies. This includes 20 that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ordered to scrutinize discrimination in employment programs.
The longer the list of companies, the more biblical commitments there are, such as the fight against anti-Semitism and the support of veterans. Trump's senior adviser, Stephen Miller, estimated this week that companies, including those whose deals have not yet been made public, have committed nearly $700 million.
“The numbers continue to grow,” he said, adding, “We're going to be nearly a billion soon.”
Many businesses feel that they have no choice but to settle down. Otherwise, Trump's advisors or peers say it's entirely or simply implied, but could face an executive order that would represent government contractors and endanger their ability to restrict access to federal buildings.
One prominent company, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, was recently contacted under such circumstances. Cadwalader has not yet reached a deal, but it can do so in the next few days, people with knowledge of the matter said.
But there is the cost of doing business with Trump. These companies will definitely remain on him for the rest of his term.
Companies also had to compete with blowbacks from within their ranks. Several of his fellow lawyers, like Wilkie's longest serving lawyers, have resigned. Democrats are also scrutinizing the deal, demanding that they provide information on how businesses have come to resolve it.
Not all businesses are bent at Trump's demands. Others, such as Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block, Wilmerhale, and others have chosen to fight orders that appear unconstitutional in many legal experts' eyes.
And so far, judges have been with businesses, temporarily freezing most restrictions.
Justice Department lawyers have asked businesses to discriminate in their employment practices by relying on diversity, equity and inclusion policies when filing a motion to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the executive order. The government argues that Trump has the right to chase after law firms that he recognizes as encouraging discriminatory employment.
In a memo to the federal agency, Attorney General Pam Bondy attacked one of the judges for blocking Trump's executive order against Jenner & Brock. She called jurists “an unelected federal judges” who “invaded the privileges of administrative officials' policymaking and freedom of speech.”
On Wednesday, Trump attacked another company, Sussman Godfrey, with an executive order. The company that plans to fight Trump's orders represents Dominion, the manufacturer of voting machines that has formed an alliance with Trump.
“Everyone who knows Sussman Godfrey knows we believe in the rule of law and takes our obligation to maintain it seriously,” the company said Wednesday. “There's no doubt we'll fight this unconstitutional order.”
Matthew Goldstein Contribution report
