After a new member of Donald Trump’s legal team was reportedly “sidelined” in the investigation into confidential documents seized from the former president’s home in Mar-a-Lago, some legal experts weighed up the possible reasons for the change.
Law firm of the Laurence tribe tweeted On Tuesday afternoon, he wondered if Trump had “withdrawn” a $ 3 million fee that he would agree to pay Chris Kise.
“Or maybe he never paid Kise upfront?” Tribe added. “Either way, quitting seems to be the only smart move Kise has made since he signed with Trump.”
Amazing. I wonder if Trump withdrew the $ 3 million fee he agreed to pay Chris Kise? Or maybe he never paid Kise upfront? Either way, quitting seems to be the only smart move Kise has made since he signed with Trump. https://t.co/099k5rcgjF
– Laurence tribe (@tribelaw) September 27, 2022
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Former federal attorney and CNN legal analyst Jennifer Rodgers I ask whether the change in Kise’s role meant his team expected Trump could soon be impeached in an investigation in Georgia into his actions after the 2020 presidential election.
“It would make sense for Kise to lead the defense of the General Assembly case with his state law background and for Trusty to stay on the federal case,” Rodgers said, referring to another Trump attorney, James Trusty.
news week reached out to a Trump spokesperson for comment and confirmation of the alleged changes involving Kise.
Marco Bello / AFP via Getty Images
CNN, citing two sources familiar with the matter, reported Tuesday that Kise had been removed from the work of Trump’s legal team regarding the investigation into the Mar-a-Lago documents. The report added that Kise, who had left a law firm to take the job, should have stayed with the legal team, although it was not immediately clear why he was no longer in charge of the document investigation work.
Attorney and commentator Tristan Snell offered several possible explanations, as Trump did not confirm the reasons or the exclusion.
Trump spent $ 3 million upfront to add DeSantis attorney Chris Kise to his legal team for the Mar-a-Lago case. Now Kise is off the team. Why? “Snell tweeted.” Why shouldn’t I lie to the court? Why didn’t the money come in? Why did Trump fire him on a rampage?
The CNN report did not mention Tribe’s suggestion that Kise might step down.
It’s been less than a month since reports surfaced that Kise had accepted a position on Trump’s legal team. Kise was a former Florida Attorney General and was part of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ transition team. Prior to joining the Trump team, he worked for the Foley & Lardner law firm.
Former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti tweeted Tuesday that Kise’s alleged marginalization in the Mar-a-Lago case shows why Trump “has a hard time attracting talented lawyers.”
While it’s true that Kise is out of the document investigation but remains on Trump’s team, there are plenty of other investigations underway he could help with. They include New York Attorney General Letitia James’ investigation into Trump and his business practices and related fraud lawsuit, as well as a House Committee investigation into Trump’s alleged role in the March 6, 2021 Capitol riots. January 2021 .
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