President Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani announced on Twitter Wednesday he’s finally hired outside counsel to represent him as the picture of Giuliani’s role in pressuring a foreign power to help Trump politically becomes clearer by the day.
But the weekslong effort to get some lawyers on his back was more difficult than Giuliani made it appear in his attorney Twitter announcement Wednesday. According to the New York Times, at least four separate, prominent attorneys declined to work for Giuliani for a variety of reasons. Those attorneys: Mary Jo White, former head of the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York; Theodore Wells Jr.; Daniel Stein, another recent veteran of the SDNY; and Paul Shechtman, a partner at Bracewell law firm where Giuliani used to work.
Stein reportedly was in negotiations with Giuliani for two weeks and was near striking a deal before it was dropped over a conflict of interest, according to the Times. Bracewell reportedly rejected Giuliani when he approached the firm about Shechtman two weeks ago.
Giuliani has been searching for legal representation since former Watergate prosecutor Jon Sole left his side in October. According to people familiar with the matter who spoke to the Times, lawyers practicing outside a firm were worried that Giuliani might try to run his own case.
