Eric Holder Meets With New Client: California

California’s Democratic lawmakers met with their new outside counsel this week: former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Holder and his firm, Covington & Burling, were hired last month to advise the state’s Legislature in anticipation of legal and policy battles with the administration of President Trump. Holder and other firm members met separately with Senate and Assembly Democratic caucuses, and had a meeting in the governor’s office with legislative leaders and the state’s Attorney General Xavier Becerra. The meeting follows Trump’s recent comments about California, in which he threatened to strip the state of federal money for its outspoken support of immigrants in the country illegally. Legislative Republicans were rebuffed in their request for Holder to address their caucus. They declined an offer to meet with other visiting attorneys. The state’s contract with Holder caps the cost at $25,000 per month for three months, with the bill to be split between the Senate and Assembly’s operating budgets. The agreement has a limit of 40 attorney hours per month.