Trump Selects Outside Counsel

President Donald Trump’s search for an outside counsel has ended with the selection of Marc E. Kasowitz. A partner at Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friendman in New York, Kasowitz has known Trump for decades and represented him in multiple cases, including on divorce records, real estate transactions, and fraud allegations related to Trump University. He is being brought on to advise Trump while the FBI and House and Senate Intelligence Committees investigate possible ties between his presidential campaign and the Russian government. The stakes were raised in the investigations with the appointment of a special counsel to take over the FBI’s probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Earlier reports suggested Trump was in favor of appointing a team of attorneys, and the Washington Post wrote that it was not immediately clear if Kasowitz would be joined by other lawyers. Other attorneys reportedly under consideration include Robert J. Guiffra, Jr.; Reid H. Weingarten; and Theodore B. Olson. The White House has not yet clarified how the president plans to pay for the outside counsel, but the Post reports that campaign finance lawyers have indicated he may be able to draw funds from his reelection committee.