John Dowd, Trump's personal attorney in Russia probe, resigns


John Dowd, President Trump's personal attorney, resigned Thursday, The New York Times reported. The news comes just days after Dowd called for the end of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian election interference and whether the Trump campaign was involved.
Dowd reportedly resigned after concluding that Trump was ignoring his advice. The president "lost confidence" in Dowd's handling of the investigation, and sought to bring new attorneys on to help, The Washington Post reported. Trump downplayed rumors that he was looking for new blood on his legal team last week, tweeting that he was "VERY happy" with his lawyers, including Dowd.
Dowd had reportedly considered resigning before, but continued to urge the president to cooperate with Mueller's investigation. Dowd and Trump clashed over whether Trump should sit for an interview with Mueller, however; Trump reportedly wanted to do so, while Dowd advised him not to.
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It is not clear who will take the lead in Trump's legal team.
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Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.
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