DOJ lawyer has no idea if Trump has written agreements with Big Law firms beyond his Truth Social posts
Source: Business Insider
May 9, 2025, 2:46 PM ET
A Justice Department lawyer said in federal court Thursday that he didn't know if President Donald Trump had written agreements with Big Law firms beyond what he has shared online. "I know of nothing beyond the generally publicly available information," Richard Lawson said when US District Judge Loren AliKhan asked him about any written agreements.
Despite representing the Trump administration in court, Lawson said he didn't know about anything written down beyond "press releases" about the deals. "I know of no other documents than that," he said. "That's not saying there isn't any, but I know of no other."
Nine Big Law firms have made deals with Trump, collectively pledging nearly $1 billion in pro bono hours toward his political priorities. As part of the deal, the firms avoided executive orders targeting them. Thursday's hearing was over a lawsuit brought by Susman Godfrey, one of four law firms targeted by Trump.
In April, Trump issued an executive order that would have stripped Susman Godfrey attorneys of security clearances, cut the firm off from government contracts, and potentially barred lawyers from courthouses, post offices, and other government buildings. AliKhan quickly issued a temporary restraining order blocking the implementation of Trump's order, and is weighing whether she would permanently block it. For the nine firms that did come to an agreement with Trump, the terms appear to be vague.
Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/doj-lawyer-unaware-written-trump-big-law-deals-details-2025-5
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