Willkie Farr & Gallagher, which hired Emhoff shortly after Trump's inauguration and also employs an investigator for the Jan. 6 committee and a litigator who helped sue Rudy Giuliani for defamation, has learned that it will be among the next firms the president intends to punish through an executive order, sources who were briefed on the matter told the New York Times.
The firm hired Tim Heaphy, who had served as chief investigative counsel on the House select committee that examined the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, two years ago, and Willkie Farr & Gallagher represented Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss pro bono in their ultimately successful lawsuit against Giuliani, who spread lies about them and their work while serving as Trump's attorney.
It's not clear how Willkie Farr & Gallagher will respond to the order, but two other firms targeted by Trump cut deals with the president to perform pro bono work for the administration in exchange for him rescinding the orders.
Three other firms that challenged Trump's orders against them were quickly granted restraining orders.
Willkie Farr & Gallagher, which was founded in 1888, actually represented Trump in the 1990s during one of his company's bankruptcy proceedings and helped his longtime friend Thomas Barrack win acquittal in a 2022 federal case.
The firm also represents Trump adviser Elon Musk's social media platform X.