{"id":102201,"date":"2025-01-29T17:51:30","date_gmt":"2025-01-30T01:51:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/01\/29\/sullivan-cromwell-joins-trump-defense-as-age-of-obsequiousness-begins\/"},"modified":"2025-01-29T17:51:30","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T01:51:30","slug":"sullivan-cromwell-joins-trump-defense-as-age-of-obsequiousness-begins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/01\/29\/sullivan-cromwell-joins-trump-defense-as-age-of-obsequiousness-begins\/","title":{"rendered":"Sullivan & Cromwell Joins Trump Defense As Age Of Obsequiousness Begins!"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
(Photographer: Jabin Botsford\/The Washington Post\/Bloomberg via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For years, Donald Trump was radioactive in elite legal circles. No white-shoe law firm would touch him. Todd Blanche had to quit Cadwalader<\/a> when he took on Trump\u2019s defense in 2023 \u2014representing Trump was a redline for deep-pocketed clients who wanted nothing to do with Muslim bans or rape allegations. After January 6, they definitely<\/em> didn\u2019t want to be associated with storming the Capitol and toilet bowl nuclear secrets. <\/p>\n

And that\u2019s before one factors in the unpaid bills<\/a>, public humiliation<\/a>, and professional ruin<\/a> that came along with the role.<\/p>\n

Back then, one of the firms that reportedly told Trump \u201cno\u201d was\u2026 Sullivan & Cromwell<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But now Sullivan & Cromwell will step in as Trump prepares another challenge to his conviction in the New York hush money case. What a difference eight years and a dose of obsequiousness can make.<\/p>\n

Unlike eight years ago, this time all those big-money corporate clients got seats right behind Trump at the inauguration. The best strategy the Democrats have come up with is \u201cJesus take the wheel<\/a>.\u201d All those hard-charging #Resistance folks have largely settled into detached horror. Firms can read the room and see an opportunity to cozy up to the ascendent autocrat without fear of compromising their client base. The cost of open collaboration has gone down, and Sullivan & Cromwell is wasting no time cashing in.<\/p>\n

Robert Giuffra, the firm\u2019s co-chair, will quarterback the effort. Politico reports<\/a> that James McDonald, Morgan Ratner, Jeff Wall, and Matthew Schwartz will join the effort. This marks a turning point for Trump \u2014 trading in parking garage lawyer Alina Habba for one of the most prestigious firms in the world. A real representational glow-up.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cPresident Donald J. Trump\u2019s appeal is important for the rule of law, New York\u2019s reputation as a global business, financial and legal center, as well as for the presidency and all public officials,\u201d Giuffra said in a statement. \u201cThe misuse of the criminal law by the Manhattan DA to target President Trump sets a dangerous precedent, and we look forward to the case being dismissed on appeal.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The legal foundation of the hush money case \u2014 weirdly bootstrapping a misdemeanor into a felony \u2014 may be bizarre, but it\u2019s nonetheless exactly what the New York law says. Last year<\/a>, I argued that it was a case of \u201ccoulda but shouldna\u201d because it struck me as a Catch-22 that if campaign funds couldn\u2019t legally be used to pay hush money, it seems unfair that a personal payment for this purpose could be an illegal campaign<\/em> contribution. But despite my misgivings, that is how the law reads. The legislature may want to change it but as far as the \u201crule of law\u201d goes, Trump violated this<\/em> statute. <\/p>\n

Looks like the legal profession\u2019s brief flirtation with principles ended with a quiet ghosting.<\/p>\n

Earlier<\/strong>: The Biglaw Firms That Said No To Trump<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\"Headshot\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Joe Patrice<\/a>\u00a0is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer<\/a>. Feel free to\u00a0email<\/a> any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0or Bluesky<\/a> if you\u2019re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The post Sullivan & Cromwell Joins Trump Defense As Age Of Obsequiousness Begins!<\/a> appeared first on Above the Law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
(Photographer: Jabin Botsford\/The Washington Post\/Bloomberg via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For years, Donald Trump was radioactive in elite legal circles. No white-shoe law firm would touch him. Todd Blanche had to quit Cadwalader<\/a> when he took on Trump\u2019s defense in 2023 \u2014representing Trump was a redline for deep-pocketed clients who wanted nothing to do with Muslim bans or rape allegations. After January 6, they definitely<\/em> didn\u2019t want to be associated with storming the Capitol and toilet bowl nuclear secrets. <\/p>\n

And that\u2019s before one factors in the unpaid bills<\/a>, public humiliation<\/a>, and professional ruin<\/a> that came along with the role.<\/p>\n

Back then, one of the firms that reportedly told Trump \u201cno\u201d was\u2026 Sullivan & Cromwell<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But now Sullivan & Cromwell will step in as Trump prepares another challenge to his conviction in the New York hush money case. What a difference eight years and a dose of obsequiousness can make.<\/p>\n

Unlike eight years ago, this time all those big-money corporate clients got seats right behind Trump at the inauguration. The best strategy the Democrats have come up with is \u201cJesus take the wheel<\/a>.\u201d All those hard-charging #Resistance folks have largely settled into detached horror. Firms can read the room and see an opportunity to cozy up to the ascendent autocrat without fear of compromising their client base. The cost of open collaboration has gone down, and Sullivan & Cromwell is wasting no time cashing in.<\/p>\n

Robert Giuffra, the firm\u2019s co-chair, will quarterback the effort. Politico reports<\/a> that James McDonald, Morgan Ratner, Jeff Wall, and Matthew Schwartz will join the effort. This marks a turning point for Trump \u2014 trading in parking garage lawyer Alina Habba for one of the most prestigious firms in the world. A real representational glow-up.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cPresident Donald J. Trump\u2019s appeal is important for the rule of law, New York\u2019s reputation as a global business, financial and legal center, as well as for the presidency and all public officials,\u201d Giuffra said in a statement. \u201cThe misuse of the criminal law by the Manhattan DA to target President Trump sets a dangerous precedent, and we look forward to the case being dismissed on appeal.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The legal foundation of the hush money case \u2014 weirdly bootstrapping a misdemeanor into a felony \u2014 may be bizarre, but it\u2019s nonetheless exactly what the New York law says. Last year<\/a>, I argued that it was a case of \u201ccoulda but shouldna\u201d because it struck me as a Catch-22 that if campaign funds couldn\u2019t legally be used to pay hush money, it seems unfair that a personal payment for this purpose could be an illegal campaign<\/em> contribution. But despite my misgivings, that is how the law reads. The legislature may want to change it but as far as the \u201crule of law\u201d goes, Trump violated this<\/em> statute. <\/p>\n

Looks like the legal profession\u2019s brief flirtation with principles ended with a quiet ghosting.<\/p>\n

Earlier<\/strong>: The Biglaw Firms That Said No To Trump<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\"Headshot\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Joe Patrice<\/a>\u00a0is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer<\/a>. Feel free to\u00a0email<\/a> any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0or Bluesky<\/a> if you\u2019re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Photographer: Jabin Botsford\/The Washington Post\/Bloomberg via Getty Images) For years, Donald Trump was radioactive in elite legal circles. No white-shoe law firm would touch him. Todd Blanche had to quit Cadwalader when he took on Trump\u2019s defense in 2023 \u2014representing Trump was a redline for deep-pocketed clients who wanted nothing to do with Muslim bans […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-102201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-above_the_law"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102201","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102201"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102201\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}