Within 24 hours of having been advised that he had been indicted by a federal grand jury, former President Donald Trump announced on his social media platform, Truth Social, that he was getting a new lawyer to defend him against special counsel Jack Smith and the U.S. government.
Trump’s efforts to revamp his legal team are about as futile as rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic as long as his lawyers cannot defend Trump from … himself.
We’ve seen this before, with Trump’s penchant for changing legal counsel seemingly at the drop of a hat throughout his ongoing legal troubles. But the harsh reality is that Trump’s efforts to revamp his legal team are about as futile as rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic as long as his lawyers cannot defend Trump from … himself.
Donald Trump is set to appear in court on Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET. Follow our live blog for the latest updates and analysis in his classified documents case.
This time, the “new” face of Trump’s legal team is Todd Blanche. Up until now, Blanche has been leading Trump’s defense against an indictment on 34 counts of falsifying business records by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, relating to alleged hush money payments to former adult film star Stormy Daniels. (Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges.) It appears Blanche will continue to serve as lead counsel in the Manhattan criminal case while he now takes over the reins in this new federal indictment in the Southern District of Florida.
Blanche was a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York before he went into private practice as a white-collar criminal defense attorney at the white glove, white shoe law firm of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. When approached by Trump to defend him in the Manhattan DA’s criminal case, Blanche reportedly resigned from Cadwalader, the oldest law firm in New York, and opened his own firm to take on representation of Trump. In his resignation email, Blanche wrote: “Obviously, doing this as a partner at Cadwalader was not an option, so I have had to make the difficult choice to leave the firm.”
I have been an attorney for more than 23 years. I’ve tried dozens of criminal and civil jury trials. I’ve worked for big and small law firms, eventually owning and running my own firm. In my opinion, resigning to accept a client who “obviously” can’t be the client of one of the most prestigious law firms in the U.S. doesn’t make sense. Given Trump’s reputation and his unusual rate of cycling through attorneys, this quote comes to mind: “Any man can make a mistake; only a fool keeps making the same one.” And any lawyer who voluntarily takes on a client like Donald Trump, who goes through lawyers like cheap Kleenex, probably needs a gut check. Regardless, Trump also posted on Truth Social that he would be announcing “additional lawyers in the coming days” and “a firm to be named later,” meaning Blanche shouldn’t be on his own for very long on his fool’s journey.
So, who is now on the outside looking into the Trump legal fishbowl? Lawyers Jim Trusty and John Rowley. Trusty and Rowley issued a written statement Friday announcing their resignations as Trump’s counsel, although it feels notable that the two are no longer representing Trump in both the classified documents case and the Jan. 6 investigation.
Citing the classified documents case’s being filed in Miami, Trusty and Rowley claim that it makes sense for them to step down. But it actually doesn’t make sense for the two lawyers who have been driving a client’s defense to resign from the case at the exact moment the indictment is returned, especially for some lame excuse like the case was filed in another jurisdiction. It had been more than reasonably anticipated that an indictment would be brought in South Florida, considering that there was a strong nexus/tie to this location: After all, Mar-a-Lago is in Palm Beach County, the search warrant issued and executed at Mar-a-Lago was secured in Palm Beach County, Trump resides in Palm Beach County, several of the substantive interactions with federal investigators and prosecutors occurred in Palm Beach County/South Florida, and Trump’s own alleged obstructive conduct and that of possible co-conspirators occurred in Palm Beach County. What does an indictment’s being filed in Miami have to do with that investigation by Smith? And why did both lawyers resign? The fact that both lawyers are also resigning from the Jan. 6 investigation doesn’t make sense, either. What does an indictment’s being filed in Miami have to do with that investigation by Smith? And why did both lawyers resign? Were they a package deal? Lots of head scratchers here, but the least confusing thing is the fact that nothing is ever normal or rational in Trump Legal World. After Tuesday’s arraignment, during which Trump will enter a plea of not guilty, a trial date will be set and both sides will work toward an ultimate showdown before a jury of Trump’s peers. The indictment sets forth damning allegations, supported by powerful evidence. What America has read thus far in that 38-count felony indictment is but a glimpse into the kind of evidence Smith has teed up. I have often said that the biggest and most powerful law firm in the world is the federal government, with its limitless resources and top talent. Todd Blanche’s noted lack of experience with national security/classified documents cases may be a liability for Trump’s defense. Hopefully Blanche doesn’t go the way of former Trump attorney Tim Parlatore or Trusty and Rowley. In the end, the trail of former Trump lawyers may be so long and numerous that they could all end up creating their own law firm … or support group. Maybe both.
Katie S. Phang
Katie S. Phang is the host of "The Katie Phang Show," which airs Saturdays at 12 p.m. ET on MSNBC. She is a legal contributor for NBC News and MSNBC based in Miami. She leverages her significant trial attorney experience to provide analysis and commentary on the latest legal issues. 
