Why Trump parted company with a 'high-profile' criminal defense lawyer: report
22 September 2023
Between four criminal indictments and a variety of civil lawsuits, 2024 GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump needs a great deal of legal representation.
Drew Findling, a well-known attorney who has represented rapper Cardi B, was part of Trump's defense team in Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis' prosecution of the former president and 18 of his allies. But Trump and Findling parted company in August.
In a report published by Rolling Stone on September 22, journalists Adam Rawnsley and Asawin Suebsaeng delve into the reasons for the separation.
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"According to three sources with knowledge of the matter," the reporters explain, "the high-profile departure was largely driven by the same kind of power struggles that have long plagued Trump's legal teams, even — or, especially — during times when Trump is trying his hardest to stay out of prison. Those problems only intensified when it became clear that Fulton County prosecutors were going to pursue a wide-ranging indictment of Trump and many of his confidants; it was the kind of nightmare scenario that Findling, well-known for his successful defenses of Cardi B and Offset, was hired to attempt to prevent."
One of the things that led to Findling's departure, according to Rawnsley and Suebsaeng, was "tensions" between him and fellow Trump attorney Boris Epstheyn.
"A small group of Trump loyalists — such as Epstheyn — would argue to the former president that Findling was not a team player, that he couldn't be completely trusted to defend the ex-president, and that he was 'anti-Trump,' according to those familiar with the matter," Rawnsley and Suebsaeng report. "It is a matter of public record that Findling has politically liberal views, and that he has publicly posted harshly negative tweets about Trump before representing him. Findling has consistently stated that his personal political beliefs aren't relevant to his job of representing his clients."
Rolling Stone's full report is available at this link.