'Polarizing' Trump lawyer negotiating deals with law firms: report

President Donald Trump's longtime adviser Boris Epshteyn has been negotiating deals with the leading law firms he's targeted with punitive executive orders.

The president's personal lawyer does not work for the government, but he has been the face of the administration's campaign to force law firms to provide free legal services and change their hiring practices to avoid a government investigation and other scrutiny, reported the Wall Street Journal.

"Epshteyn is a polarizing figure among Trump advisers, and many question his tactics, according to campaign and administration officials," the Journal reported. "He was indicted in Arizona last year following an investigation into efforts to overturn Trump’s 2020 election loss in the state, and has pleaded not guilty there. He previously pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct as part of a bar incident. He was accused by Trump’s campaign lawyer of shaking down potential administration nominees for consulting contracts. Epshteyn has denied the allegations."

Some of the firms have privately worried about negotiating with Epshteyn because he doesn't work for the government and uses a private Gmail email account, some lawyers told the newspaper, but they decided that negotiating with him was the best way to avoid further scrutiny.

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"Privately, legal industry leaders say they view his efforts as designed to intimidate and sideline lawyers who would otherwise oppose the administration," the Journal reported. "The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has launched investigations of many firms since Trump took office, and Trump’s White House has issued executive orders against others, with threats and rumors of more to come. Trump aide Stephen Miller crafted the framework for the orders, people familiar with the matter said."

The campaign against big law firms is rooted in Trump's desire for revenge, according to sources familiar with the matter, and the president and many of his advisers, including Miller and his aide May Mailman, believe they're biased against conservatives and refused to hire first-term appointees.

"Many in Trump’s orbit have also said they believe law firms were biased against Trump, in particular," the Journal reported. "Todd Blanche, the president’s former criminal defense lawyer and now the deputy attorney general, for example, quit Cadwalader after the firm refused to let him represent Trump."

Cadwalader agreed to provide at least $100 million in pro bono legal services in a deal announced Friday, and they asked Blanche for help when negotiating the terms.

"The monetary figures were less onerous than they might seem, some lawyers argued," the newspaper reported. "For example, the pro bono commitments in some instances were to be completed 'during the Trump administration and beyond.' Beyond, could stretch until the end of time, a lawyer involved in one of the deals said."