Trump Asks Bondi to Scrutinize Lawyers Who Fight US in Courts

President Donald Trump intensified his scrutiny of the American legal system by directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to “review conduct” by lawyers and firms who engage in “frivolous, unreasonable, and vexatious litigation” against the US.

“Accountability is especially important when misconduct by lawyers and law firms threatens our national security, homeland security, public safety, or election integrity,” Trump wrote in a memorandum released late Friday.

Pam Bondi

Photographer: Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg

He said Bondi’s review of litigation against the government should extend over the past eight years to the start of his first administration.

He singled out immigration cases, accusing lawyers representing migrants of coaching “clients to conceal their past or lie about their circumstances when asserting their asylum claims.”

The president offered no evidence to bolster that claim, but in recent days he and some of his allies have called for the impeachment of US District Judge James Boasberg over his decision to block deportations of Venezuelan immigrants under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act.

James Boasberg

Photographer: Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg

That prompted an extraordinary statement hours later from US Chief Justice John Roberts who said that the impeachment of federal judges is “not an appropriate response” to disagreement with their rulings.

Read more: US Chief Justice Rebukes Trump Call to Impeach Judges (2)

The memo was issued a day after the president said he would withdraw an executive order stripping security clearances and threatening to take away government contracts from Paul Weiss, following an agreement with the law firm. The high profile firm agreed not to use diversity and inclusion considerations in its hiring practices and to donate $40 million in pro bono legal services to initiatives supported by his administration.

Earlier: Trump Withdrawing Paul Weiss Order After $40 Million Agreement

Trump has also issued directives against Covington & Burling and Perkins Coie in recent weeks as he targeted firms with ties to prominent Democrats or that have assisted in the investigations into his conduct.

--With assistance from Peter Blumberg and Janine Phakdeetham.

To contact the reporter on this story:
John Harney in Washington at jharney2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Michael Shepard at mshepard7@bloomberg.net

Sara Forden, Shamim Adam

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