Project 65, a “dark money” left-wing group that has targeted lawyers that represented former President Donald Trump in 2020, is now warning potential Trump attorneys that they could be disbarred for working for him.
In an ad posted on Instagram, and apparently targeted at lawyers, Project 65 warns: “Don’t let partisan politics endanger your standing with the bar. The Porter Wright Partners face ethics complaints over Trump campaign post-election work. Don’t risk your law license by joining an effort to subvert democracy. We – and the public – are watching.”
Porter Wright is a firm that represented Trump in Pennsylvania in 2020. Its lawyers withdrew from representing Trump mere days after the November election after coming under intense pressure.
The “ethics complaints” referred to in the Project 65 ad were brought in 2022 by Project 65 itself against Ronald Hicks and Carolyn McGee, who were partners at Porter Wright at the time. Both now work for another firm, Nelson Mullins; they withdrew from representing Trump before the first hearing in his election challenges even took place. The Pennsylvania Office of Disciplinary Counsel does not appear to have taken any action against either of them.
As Breitbart News reported in 2022, Project 65 was launched with help from David Brock, the Hillary Clinton ally behind such groups as Media Matters. It does not disclose its donors, but has “ties to Democratic Party heavyweights,” Axios reported.
As Breitbart News later reported, Project 65’s “ongoing efforts to prosecute, disbar, and smear attorneys who served as election lawyers for President Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign could leave Republicans short of legal talent for the election fight in November 2024.” Some 100 attorneys have reportedly been targeted.
Now, Project 65 is threatening attorneys who simply might be considering working for Trump, suggesting in the ad that merely representing him could “endanger” their “standing with the bar.”
The American Bar Association’s Model Rules of Professional Conduct declare: “A lawyer should use the law’s procedures only for legitimate purposes and not to harass or intimidate others.”
The Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right “to have the Assistance of Counsel” in criminal proceedings, of which Trump faces several.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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