New Trump lawyer’s comments suggest he views his role as political: columnist
Donald Trump’s newest lawyer has turned to making disingenuous political arguments in his client’s legal case, an approach that appears to be aimed more at the former president’s base than a jury, MSNBC columnist Glenn Kirschner writes.
John Lauro, a former federal prosecutor who is now leading Trump’s legal team, during Trump’s Aug. 3 arraignment in Washington D.C., made one comment in particular that Kirschner found insincere.
Lauro during the arraignment told Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya that “We expect to vigorously address every single issue in this matter on behalf of Mr. Trump and on behalf of the American people.”
Kirschner, himself a former federal prosecutor, argues that it’s improper for a defense lawyer to claim they represent anyone other than their client in an adversarial legal system in which prosecutors represent the community at large.
“Wait a minute — on behalf of the American people?” Kirschner writes.
“The sole and exclusive responsibility of criminal defense attorneys is to zealously represent the interests of their clients. They neither raise issues on behalf of nor represent the interests of the American people. That is literally the job of the prosecutor.”
Kirschner believes Lauro’s statement that he’s representing “the American people” signals to Trump’s supporters that he’s really advocating for them.
Kirschner writes that “Attorneys have a duty of candor to the court and a responsibility not to say anything publicly that could undermine or derail a fair trial. If Trump’s attorneys take those obligations seriously, then they should stop mimicking their client’s dangerous propaganda and focus on actual legal defenses and legitimate lawyering.”
