DOJ Lead Attorney in Trump’s Big Law Fights to Resign (1)

The Justice Department’s lead attorney in President Trump’s court fight with Big Law is resigning for a job in the private sector.

Deputy Associate Attorney General Abhishek Kambli told acting Attorney General Todd Blanche of his resignation plans in an April 24 letter posted to Kambli’s LinkedIn profile on Thursday.

Kambli will finish out his tenure at the department at the end of the month, following oral arguments in the Trump administration’s unprecedented court fight with four prominent law firms targeted in a series of White House sanctions.

“The greatest joy of this job was working with some of the most brilliant people who came together with a shared mission of advancing President Trump’s agenda,” Kambli said in the LinkedIn post.

Kambli took over for Richard Lawson as DOJ’s lead attorney for President Trump’s court fights with legal industry foes after Lawson defected for America First Policy Institute. Next week, Kambli is slated to appear for oral arguments in the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit in DOJ’s effort to revive Trump’s attacks on the law firms after four federal judges struck them down.

A DOJ spokesperson said, “We wish Deputy Associate Attorney General Abhishek Kambli the very best as he concludes his tenure at DOJ. During his time at the Department, he was a go-to advocate for high profile matters defending President Trump’s agenda and personally argued over 20 cases. He had planned to transition back to private practice following his time with government, and we thank him for his service to the country.”

Kambli was recruited to a politically appointed role at DOJ after gaining notoriety in conservative legal circles for bringing legal challenges to the Biden administration for the Kansas attorney general.

At the office of the deputy associate attorney general in DC, he oversaw cases in the civil rights, environmental and natural resources divisions. He’s also appeared in court for some of the Trump administration’s most controversial cases over deportations and transgender members of the military. He’s appeared in more than 20 arguments in federal courts, according to his letter to Blanche.

“I am deeply grateful to President Trump for the opportunity to serve in his administration and to contribute to the important work he is doing for this country,” he said.

The case is: Perkins Coie LLP v. DOJ, et al, D.C. Cir., 25-05241