https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/13/trump-finds-no-new-lawyers-mar-a-lago-documents-arraignment
Exclusive: Trump is expected to be represented by existing lawyers Todd Blanche and Chris Kise
several attorneys declined to take him as a client.
and
Trump has also seemingly been unable to find a specialist national security lawyer, eligible to possess a security clearance
good luck clearing those charges without experts.
I think that is an actual threat if he can't find an expert. The judge might assign someone if he can't find one himself just to avoid that.
Can you envision being on that candidate list for random selection? It's a form of career ending Russian roulette or watching the Vietnam draft on TV. People know if you're drafted it's not your fault, but being thrown into an impossible situation where just being involved might put you in jail like many of the lawyers who came before you into that role ...
Having your number come up would be really tough.
Meh. Lawyers represent unsavory clients all the time. I think Trump's treatment of his lawyers is the issue for most. Using them as political spokespersons and his reputation of not paying.
My guess is it'll go like this:
Trump: Judge, I can't find a lawyer with the skills to represent me.
Judge: Give me the list of people you tried to get to represent you.
The judge looks over the list see someone they knows.
Judge: Mr. X is appointed to Trump's lawyer team and will be paid 1.2 x [standard rate]. Trump will put Y amount into escrow to ensure payment.
Add some rules about what exactly the appointed lawyer will do and done. Trump can't argue for improper representation later.
where just being involved might put you in jail like many of the lawyers who came before you
Just to clarify, his previous lawyers went to jail for lying to courts on behalf of Trump or providing Trump with advice on how to get away with crimes. Defending Trump doesn't automatically get you in trouble.
I think there's a huge personal risk to the lawyers too.
If Trump doesn't like how this lawyer is representing him, he can sic his angry mob on the lawyer.
with how he has treated his lawyers in the past, and the publicity this will get, if it came to that I think the appointee would come out no worse off. It's very clear he sabotages his defenders.
But maybe he just chooses to represent himself if it comes to that.
Who knew that having a reputation for being hard to work with and stiffing people would make it harder to get people to work for you?
Ladies and gentlemen, let me just say, this courtroom, tremendous courtroom, it's really fantastic, okay? Nobody's ever seen a courtroom like this before, believe me. And I must say, I've been to a lot of courtrooms, folks. Many courtrooms, lots of them.
Now, I know what you're all thinking: "Why is the greatest businessman in the world standing in front of you today?" Well, let me tell you, it's all a big misunderstanding. Huge, tremendous misunderstanding. They say I'm being accused of being too charismatic, too charming, and too good-looking. Can you believe that? It's a real witch hunt, folks. Sad!
He does have a pair of lawyers already.
top former federal prosecutor Todd Blanche and the former Florida solicitor general Chris Kise, according to people familiar with the matter.
What he's struggling with is finding someone who is an expert in national security law, can get a security clearance and is willing to represent him.
A lawyer I guess.
Though Kise is expected to appear alongside Blanche in federal district court in Miami, he has primarily handled civil litigation for Trump since he came off the documents case last October and is not expected to be on the trial team proper, a person familiar with the matter said.
I feel like someone who has the necessary experience and clearance isn’t going to want to throw that away on case which they will lose and likely be asked to put that clearance at risk by their client within the first 5 minutes.
Didn't Trump try to throw his previous lawyers under the bus by getting them to provide wrong confirmation? Weren't they only saved from being liable themselves because communication acquired by the FBI proved they were mislead themselves?
Well, actions have consequences, even if it took waaaay too long in this case. I mean, even if he's sentenced for life, how long will that be?
Yup
Trump might have made Evan Corcoran, another former lawyer who withdrew from his defense in the Mar-a-Lago documents investigation, into a witness against him. According to the indictment, after Trump was issued a subpoena last year seeking the return of any classified documents, Trump took steps to remove boxes of documents from a storage room that Corcoran intended to search through in order to find materials responsive to the subpoena. The steps Trump took to have those boxes removed from the storage room, an episode now at the heart of the obstruction charge, caused Corcoran to certify a false certification to the justice department confirming that no further documents were at the property, the indictment said.
Even the likely 20 year sentence could be a "life" sentence for Trump.
The last-minute scramble to find a veteran trial lawyer was a familiar process for Trump, who has had difficulty hiring and keeping lawyers to defend him in the numerous federal and state criminal cases that have dogged him through his presidency and after he left the White House.
A man who is known for not paying the people who work for him, throwing his supporters under the bus at any opportunity, and brazenly breaking the law? What lawyer would even want him in the same room with him?
Still, a scary number of people think to themselves “this is the guy we need as president.”