Marc Kasowitz Is Waking Up To A Bad Morning

Trump and Kasowitz: Is the Bromance Over?

Marc Kasowitz (screenshot via YouTube)

That feeling when the New York Times has a headline about your biggest client wanting to fire you… and it’s not the worst news story about you that day.

Donald Trump and Marc Kasowitz made quite the pair. The bombastic businessman and the pugilistic attorney teamed up repeatedly over the years to bully any number of folks in the rough-and-tumble world of big-time real estate. But the relationship has apparently fallen on hard times, according to the New York Times:

Advisers said the president was annoyed not so much by his son as by the headlines. But three people close to the legal team said he had also trained his ire on Marc E. Kasowitz, his longtime lawyer, who is leading the team of private lawyers representing him. Mr. Trump, who often vents about advisers in times of trouble, has grown disillusioned by Mr. Kasowitz’s strategy, the people said.

Sad! Seriously, it’s always upsetting to see a beautiful relationship strained like this. Before all this, Trump trusted Kasowitz so much he hired him — after four firms told him no — to handle the most high-profile criminal probe in the country. Sure, Kasowitz didn’t have the sort of white-collar criminal defense expertise one would expect for that role — something we pointed out was absolutely insane at the time — but we heard it was all about trust for The Donald.

That trust may now be gone.

But hey, maybe Kasowitz is going to get out ahead of this thing:

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The president’s lawyers view [presidential adviser and son-in-law Jared] Kushner as an obstacle and a freelancer more concerned about protecting himself than his father-in-law, the person said. While no ultimatum has been delivered, the lawyers have told colleagues that they cannot keep operating that way, raising the prospect that Mr. Kasowitz may resign.

So there are some problems with that:

Hmm. If only we knew of one member of that legal team who’s a notorious braggart who can’t keep his mouth shut in public

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But, amazingly, the backbiting at 1600 Trump Avenue — I assume we’ve renamed the street by now — isn’t the worst story for Kasowitz today. ProPublica reports that Kasowitz has yet to seek security clearance, which would seem like a basic requirement of representing Trump in an obstruction probe all about sensitive dealings with the Russians. And lest you think this is just a bad oversight, ProPublica says Kasowitz probably can’t get security clearance because their sources tell them there may be alcohol-abuse issues:

In recent weeks, ProPublica spoke with more than two dozen current and former employees of Kasowitz’s firm, Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP, as well as his friends and acquaintances. Past and present employees of the firm said in interviews that Kasowitz has struggled intermittently with alcohol abuse, leading to a stint in rehab in the winter of 2014-15.

Several people told ProPublica that Kasowitz has been drinking in recent months. (The vast majority of those who spoke to ProPublica for this article declined to be quoted by name, citing Kasowitz’s penchant for threatening lawsuits.)

This comes as a complete shock to us.

Unfortunately the article gets even more embarrassing, discussing holiday party shenanigans and a former hostess at the Palm restaurant. Kasowitz, through a spokesperson, provided statements of employees indicating that his behavior that night was fine and denying any untoward relationship with the hostess.

While everyone hopes these tales of relapse (assuming the story about a past rehab stint is true) are just noise for his health, if there’s any truth to them, he needs to go ahead and resign this sinkhole of a case and get back to basics. He’s got a good practice and a firm feeling a bit of pressure — go tend to that.

In any event, it’s not a good day for Kasowitz.

Trump’s Russia Lawyer Isn’t Seeking Security Clearance, And May Have Trouble Getting One [ProPublica]
Rancor at White House as Russia Story Refuses to Let the Page Turn [New York Times]

Earlier: Is Marc Kasowitz Drunk On His Own Power?
Marc Kasowitz Takes Break From Partying At Trump Hotel To Talk To The Press
Marc Kasowitz… Will You Accept This Rose?


HeadshotJoe Patrice is an editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news.