Top Trump attorney in probe resigns
President hires aggressive lawyer to fight Mueller
The departure of John Dowd, who served as a Justice Department prosecutor before he became a white-collar defense attorney, leaves unclear who will guide Trump through a crucial stage of a criminal case that threatens his administration.
The move follows Trump’s decision Monday to hire Joseph diGenova, a Washington lawyer who has publicly accused the FBI and Department of Justice of “trying to frame” the president with false charges, signaling a more combative response to the Mueller probe.
The upheaval in Trump’s legal team reflects the broader chaos in the White House, where turnover is at record levels. In recent weeks, Trump fired his secretary of state, his communications director quit and some senior aides were ordered to leave after problems with security clearances. On Thursday, Trump announced he was replacing his national security adviser.
Mueller is investigating whether Trump campaign aides colluded with Russian meddling in the 2016 election, and whether the the president obstructed justice after taking office by trying to derail the criminal probe.
The investigation has resulted in criminal charges against 19 people, including four former Trump advisers. Three of the four, including former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn, have pleaded guilty and are cooperating with Mueller, although none of their charges involve illegal collusion with Russia.
In recent months, Dowd has led negotiations with Mueller’s team over whether prosecutors will be able to interview Trump. Trump said Thursday he remains committed to speaking with Mueller, a step that he hopes could bring to a close an investigation he has called a “witch hunt.”
“Yes, I would like to,” Trump said in response to a reporter’s question at the White House.
The president has clearly chafed as the Mueller probe has continued.
“The Mueller probe should never have been started in that there was no collusion and there was no crime,” he tweeted.
Trump also accused Mueller, a Republican who served as FBI director under President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama, of stocking his team with “13 hardened Democrats” and “zero Republicans.”
The swerving between cooperation and truculence has reflected how Trump has handled the investigation, leaving even some allies scratching their heads.
Trump is also represented by Jay Sekulow, a conservative attorney, and Ty Cobb, who works in the White House. In a statement, Sekulow praised Dowd as a “valuable member of our legal team” and vowed to press forward.
“We will continue our ongoing representation of the President and our cooperation with the Office of Special Counsel,” Sekulow said.
Since taking office, Trump has struggled to hire the kind of seasoned lawyers who normally relish a chance to work directly for the president.
Earlier this week, Theodore Olson, who served as U.S. Solicitor General under President George W. Bush and is one of Washington’s most respected litigators, declined an offer to join Trump’s team, according to a source with knowledge of the exchange.
Trump has tried to downplay the obvious turmoil in his legal lineup.
“The Failing New York Times purposely wrote a false story stating that I am unhappy with my legal team on the Russia case and am going to add another lawyer to help out. Wrong. I am VERY happy with my lawyers,” he tweeted March 11.
Eight days later, he hired diGenova, who had appeared on Fox News to denounce the investigation into the president.
“It wasn’t the Russians who corrupted the presidential election,” diGenova said March 7. “It was the American officials at the Department of Justice and the FBI.”
Dowd, 77, had taken a more low-key approach.
Amid the confusion, Dowd stepped down Thursday with only kind words for Trump. “I love the president and wish him well,” he said.
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