Donald Trump's Legal Nemesis Makes Vow After '60 Minutes' Segment
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Lawyer Marc Elias, a longtime opponent of President Donald Trump, says he will "not stop fighting" following an appearance on 60 Minutes about the president's executive orders targeting law firms.
"I have no doubt that Trump's hateful words are not behind me," Elias, who has represented Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris' presidential campaigns, wrote in an op-ed for Democracy Docket, which he founded, on Monday.
"I am certain he will escalate his campaign of political retribution. But, for my part, I will not stop fighting. I will never back down. And I will always speak out."
Elias has been contacted for further comment via an email to Democracy Docket. The White House has been contacted for comment via email.
Attorney Marc Elias stands on the plaza of the Supreme Court in Washington, March 21, 2016.
Attorney Marc Elias stands on the plaza of the Supreme Court in Washington, March 21, 2016.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo
Why It Matters
In recent weeks, Trump has signed executive orders targeting some of the country's most elite law firms. Several of the firms have either done legal work Trump has opposed or have links to prosecutors who at one point investigated the president.
On Friday, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell blocked an order against the firm Perkins Coie, saying it amounted to "unconstitutional retaliation." Trump's order revoked federal clearance for the firm's employees and instructed federal agencies to terminate contracts with the firm. The White House cited the firm's representation of Hillary Clinton's campaign during the 2016 presidential race. Trump has also railed against Elias, one of the firm's former lawyers who hired an opposition research firm that in turn commissioned former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele to produce a dossier examining ties between Trump and Russia. Elias left Perkins Coie in 2021.
What To Know
"Donald Trump hates me because I fight hard and I fight for free and fair elections," Elias told 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley, who recently called out parent company Paramount for supervising content.
"I insist on fighting for democracy in court, fighting for voting rights in court, and insist on telling the truth about what the outcome of the 2020 election was."
He said Trump was trying to "intimidate" law firms the way "a mob boss intimidates people in the neighborhood."
In the op-ed, Elias wrote that from the "opening words of Judge Beryl Howell's opinion — 'No American President has ever before issued executive orders like the one at issue in this lawsuit' — to the 60 Minutes closing credits, this has been an emotional weekend for me personally."
He wrote that when a producer from 60 Minutes first reached out to him to see if he would agree to be interviewed on camera for the segment that aired on Sunday night, he was "unsure."
"I knew the drill — lots of time talking, for a clip or two in the final cut," he wrote. "Besides, I felt like a bit player in this instance. Yes, I had been targeted by Trump, but that was old news. I am no longer in Big Law, and my current firm is well known for representing Democrats, progressives and pro-voting organizations."
Elias said he changed his mind after learning that "few other lawyers—particularly partners at large law firms— were willing to speak on television. The same fear that had prevented Big Law firms from standing up to Trump was now making their partners unwilling to speak out publicly. Even the targeted firms remained quiet."
He wrote that through interviews, Pelley had "painted a damning picture of a president out for retribution and a legal industry too cowardly to stand up to him. I am featured—along with others braver than I—including an associate who quit her job rather than be complicit in the deal her law firm had cut."
Several law firms have reached deals with the Trump administration to avoid being targeted by executive orders and have committed to provide hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of free legal services for causes the president supports.
What People Are Saying
Pelley said as he opened the segment on Sunday's broadcast: "It was nearly impossible to get anyone on camera for this story because of the fear now running through our system of justice. In recent weeks, President Trump has signed orders against several law firms—orders with the power to destroy them. That matters because lawsuits have been a check on the president's power."
Elias told 60 Minutes: "It is trying to intimidate them the way in which a mob boss intimidates people in the neighborhood that he is seeking to either exact protection money from or engage in other nefarious conduct. I mean, the fact is that these law firms are being told, "If you don't play ball with us, maybe somethin' really bad will happen to you."
Trump said during a speech at the Department of Justice on March 14: "In recent years, a corrupt group of hacks and radicals within the ranks of the American government obliterated the trust and goodwill built up over generations. They weaponized the vast powers of our intelligence and law enforcement agencies to try and thwart the will of the American people.... They spied on my campaign, launched one hoax and disinformation operation after another, broke the law on a colossal scale, persecuted my family, staff, and supporters. Raided my home, Mar-a-Lago, and did everything within their power to prevent me from becoming the President of the United States. With the help of radicals like Marc Elias, Mark Pomerantz."
What Happens Next
Howell's ruling permanently bars enforcement of the executive order against Perkins Coie. Other law firms that have challenged executive orders against have succeeded in at least temporarily blocking them.
This story features reporting from The Associated Press.
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