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A Justice Department lawyer said in federal court Thursday that he didn’t know if President Donald Trump had written agreements with Big Law firms beyond what he has shared online.
“I know of nothing beyond the generally publicly available information,” Richard Lawson said when US District Judge Loren AliKhan asked him about any written agreements.
Despite representing the Trump administration in court, Lawson said he didn’t know about anything written down beyond “press releases” about the deals.
“I know of no other documents than that,” he said. “That’s not saying there isn’t any, but I know of no other.”
Nine Big Law firms have made deals with Trump, pledging a total of nearly $1 billion in pro bono hours toward his political priorities. At the same time, the firms avoided executive orders targeting them.
Thursday’s hearing, in a Washington, DC, federal court, was over a lawsuit brought by Susman Godfrey, one of four law firms on the receiving end of Trump’s harsh executive orders.
Trump issued an executive order in April that would have stripped Susman Godfrey attorneys of security clearances, cut the firm off from government contracts, and potentially barred lawyers from courthouses, post offices, and other government buildings.
AliKhan quickly issued a temporary restraining order blocking the implementation of Trump’s command, and weighed Thursday whether she would permanently block them.
For the nine firms that did come to agreements with Trump, the terms appear to be vague.
Trump’s Truth Social posts announcing each deal are only about 400 words long. They do not specify time horizons for pro bono donations, making it unclear how much work the firms will contribute during the remainder of Trump’s term. And they do not include any details about reporting requirements for the promises firms made over diverse hiring practices.
Bloomberg Law reported earlier in May on copies of written agreements between the White House and four law firms: Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, and A&O Shearman. Those written agreements do not include any specific details on how they would comply with the deals, according to the outlet.
The four firms also struck deals with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, whose chairman sent letters to 20 law firms inquiring about their diversity practices. Outside counsel for the four firms said they would submit “a confidential written certification” every four months through the end of Trump’s term, according to Bloomberg Law.
When asked about the written agreements, an EEOC spokesperson told Business Insider, “We don’t have anything for you on this.”
Neither the White House nor the nine law firms that made deals with Trump have offered up any information about potential underlying agreements.
Representatives for the White House did not respond to requests for comment about the deals.
None of the nine firms that struck deals responded to requests for comment about written agreements with Trump.
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