Trump pulls security clearance of second law firm

Donald Trump has done it again.

While vowing not to take revenge against his political enemies, the Trump administration has pulled the security clearance of the Paul Weiss firm, the second law firm to experience this since Trump took office.

First Trump Order

This got started when Trump announced that the security clearances of attorneys at Perkins Coie who had helped Special Counsel Jack Smith were going to have their security clearances pulled.

According to the reports I read on this, Perkins Coie attorneys did not help Smith prepare his case against Trump.

But they did offer their services to Smith to defend himself after Trump won the election and Smith became concerned that Trump would have his DOJ go after Smith.

As Trump signed the order to revoke their clearances, Trump stated, "This is an absolute honor to sign. What they've done is just terrible. It's weaponization — you could say weaponization against a political opponent, and it should never be allowed to happen again."

Perkins Coie Fights the Order

After Trump announced his order, the firm immediately challenged it, citing how devasting it would be to their business.

The firm added, “The Order is an affront to the Constitution and our adversarial system of justice. Its plain purpose is to bully those who advocate points of view that the President perceives as adverse to the views of his Administration, whether those views are presented on behalf of paying or pro bono clients.”

The firm had also noted that the attorneys working with Smith, which were apparently the target of Trump, had already left the firm and only accounted for a small percentage of the work of a firm with more than 1,200 attorneys.

The firm also announced that Trump’s order had already resulted in several clients terminating their contracts with Perkins Coie.

Trump Goes After Paul Weiss Firm

On Friday, Donald Trump set his sights on a second firm that he believes went after him for political reasons, announcing that he wanted to pull the security clearances from attorneys at New York-based Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP (Paul Weiss).

Trump’s order stated, “My Administration has already taken action to address some of the significant risks and egregious conduct associated with law firms, and I have determined that similar action is necessary to end Government sponsorship of harmful activity by an additional law firm:  Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP (Paul Weiss).”

Paul Weiss’s spokesperson Laura Van Drie stated that the attorney who appears to the main target of Trump, Mark Pomerantz, is no longer with the firm, stating, “Mr. Pomerantz has not been affiliated with the firm for years. The terms of a similar order were enjoined as unconstitutional earlier this week by a federal district court judge.”

Like Perkins Coie, Paul Weiss will fight the order, so this will be an interesting legal battle we see play out that will clearly outline just how much power the office of the president has moving forward.