Trump's aggressive assault on election integrity is reportedly making some of his outside lawyers queasy
![Trump campaign event](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HhHAJ2Dq8haWmJVV8S4dgZ-415-80.jpg)
"You're witnessing what might be the last gasp of Trumpism," Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman speculate at Politico. If outgoing President Trump "has a dominant ideology, it's that people on his side — his administration and his party — should be unbendingly loyal to him. And what you're seeing right now is the political and governmental machinery that he controls succumb to his anger at losing the election. And, with 71 days until Inauguration Day, this kind of behavior has a rapidly approaching termination date."
Trump is not going quietly, and senior lawyers at the two major law firms working on his behalf to challenge his likely insurmountable losses in key states — Jones Day and Porter Wright Morris & Arthur — are worried that they are "advancing arguments that lack evidence and may be helping Mr. Trump and his allies undermine the integrity of American elections," The New York Times reports.
"Six Jones Day lawyers said that given the small number of late-arriving ballots involved in the litigation" in Pennsylvania, "and the fact that they already had been segregated, the main goal of the litigation seemed to be to erode public confidence in the election results," the Times reports. Two Jones Day lawyers said they have been heckled by friends and others on social media for working at a firm supporting Trump, and others "felt that the firm risked hurting itself by taking on work that undermined the rule of law." One lawyer called this work "extremely shortsighted."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The outcry at Porter Wright "appears more intense," with one lawyer quitting in protest of the Trump legal campaign, the Times reports. At the same time, it has been lucrative work, especially for Jones Day, which has brought in $4 million this year from Trump and his close allies and $20 million over the past five years. Read more at The New York Times.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Wall Street tumbles on poor tech results
Speed Read US markets had their worst day since 2022 as Tesla and AI stocks dropped
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Salt Lake City named host of 2034 Winter Olympics
Speed Read The Winter Games are returning to the US for the first time in 32 years
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Netanyahu makes controversial address
Speed Reads Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress denounced Gaza war protestors
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Empty-nest boomers aren't selling their big homes
Speed Read Most Americans 60 and older do not intend to move, according to a recent survey
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Brazil accuses Musk of 'disinformation campaign'
Speed Read A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has opened an inquiry into Elon Musk and X
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney board fends off Peltz infiltration bid
Speed Read Disney CEO Bob Iger has defeated activist investor Nelson Peltz in a contentious proxy battle
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney and DeSantis reach detente
Speed Read The Florida governor and Disney settle a yearslong litigation over control of the tourism district
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Visa and Mastercard agree to lower swipe fees
Speed Read The companies will cap the fees they charge businesses when customers use their credit cards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Reddit IPO values social media site at $6.4 billion
Speed Read The company makes its public debut on the New York Stock Exchange
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Housing costs: the root of US economic malaise?
speed read Many voters are troubled by the housing affordability crisis
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Feds cap credit card late fees at $8
speed read The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule to save households an estimated $10 billion a year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published