Kasowitz Supposedly Taking Credit For Firing Preet Bharara
If this is true, it's a really bad move.
Sometimes when people are feeling a little full of themselves they make boasts that they can’t really back up. But the more dangerous move is when they make boasts they can back up… but shouldn’t be broadcasting. If the reports are true, it’s unclear which Marc Kasowitz is doing, but if it’s the latter, it’s more fuel for the mounting belief that this administration is deeply, deeply concerned about its criminal exposure.
Which is probably not the message the counsel for the president wants to convey.
Jesse Eisinger and Justin Elliott of Pro Publica, publishing in the Huffington Post, report that Kasowitz is telling people that he’s the one who convinced Trump to go back on his commitment to retain SDNY U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara:
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Marc Kasowitz, President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer in the Russia investigation, has boasted to friends and colleagues that he played a central role in the firing of Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, according to four people familiar with the conversations.
Kasowitz told Trump, “This guy is going to get you,” according to a person familiar with Kasowitz’s account.
Those who know Kasowitz say he is sometimes prone to exaggerating when regaling them with his exploits. But if true, his assertion adds to the mystery surrounding the motive and timing of Bharara’s firing.
The problem, of course, is that it doesn’t really matter whether he’s exaggerating or not if he’s really making this claim. Because this brag, true or not, implies that there’s something (or somethings) illegal going on that Trump not only needs to worry about, but are so troubling that he needs to go out and fire any lawyers with an ethical duty to investigate criminal conduct within the government. If the alleged boast involved telling Trump, “Preet’s a bad prosecutor” or “Preet’s bad for Wall Street” or even “Preet’s bad for my clients” that would be troubling but wouldn’t reflect on Trump’s own legal predicament. But to tell people that Trump fired Preet because you thought Preet could uncover criminal activity that could “get” the guy you represent? That’s not a good look.
It’s not as bad as the ethical breach of telling people you don’t represent that they don’t need to hire lawyers, but it’s not good.
For Kasowitz’s sake, one hopes he’s either never said anything about Bharara’s firing or is egregiously misquoted on the justification he offered the president. Because if he’s really telling this story, he may want to lay off the bragging for awhile.
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Trump’s Personal Attorney Reportedly Bragged About Getting Rid Of U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara [Huffington Post]
Earlier: Is Marc Kasowitz Drunk On His Own Power?
Joe Patrice is an editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news.
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