Top law firm Sullivan & Cromwell to represent Trump in ongoing legal matters
2025-01-29
Category: world

EXCLUSIVE:&nbsp;President Donald Trump has retained counsel from top law firm Sullivan &amp; Cromwell to represent him in his ongoing appeal efforts in the cases brought against him by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and New York Attorney General Letitia James, Fox News Digital has learned.&nbsp; The move comes after his original legal team on the cases joined his administration in top roles.&nbsp; JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FIRES MORE THAN A DOZEN KEY OFFICIALS ON FORMER SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH'S TEAM&nbsp;  The president will be represented by Sullivan Cromwell co-chair and partner Robert J. Giuffra Jr.&nbsp;Giuffra has been at the firm since 1989 after serving as a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist. Giuffra currently focuses on securities, white collar criminal, product liability, commercial, insurance, banking and tax litigation.&nbsp; Trump also will be represented by Matthew Schwartz, a partner of the firm who joined in 2007 after clerking for Justice Samuel Alito; Jeffrey Wall, another partner who served as an acting U.S. solicitor general and has argued more than 30 cases in the U.S. Supreme Court; James McDonald, a partner who served as an assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York; and Morgan Ratner, a partner who has argued nine cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and who served in the Office of Solicitor General at the Justice Department.&nbsp; All five lawyers on the new team clerked for the U.S. Supreme Court.&nbsp; Fox News Digital has learned that Boris Epshteyn, Trump’s top legal advisor, is continuing his role as senior counsel, coordinating a wide array of legal fronts and matters for the president.&nbsp; "President Donald J. Trump's appeal is important for the rule of law, New York's reputation as a global business, financial and legal center, as well as for the presidency and all public officials," Giuffra told Fox News Digital. "The misuse of the criminal law by the Manhattan DA to target President Trump sets a dangerous precedent, and we look forward to the case being dismissed on appeal."&nbsp; The shift comes after the president tapped his former lawyers on the cases to top roles in his administration.&nbsp; Trump appointed his attorney Todd Blanche to serve as deputy attorney general and John Sauer as solicitor general of the United States.&nbsp; Emil Bove, also a Trump attorney tapped for a top role at the Justice Department, is serving as the acting deputy attorney general, but when Blanche is confirmed, Bove will serve as principal associate deputy attorney general.&nbsp;  DONALD TRUMP SENTENCED WITH NO PENALTY IN NEW YORK CRIMINAL TRIAL, AS JUDGE WISHES HIM 'GODSPEED' IN 2ND TERM Will Scharf, who also represented the president in these cases, was appointed to serve as staff secretary at the White House.&nbsp; Blanche, Sauer, Bove and Scharf successfully defended the president in former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigations into Jan. 6, 2021, and alleged interference in the 2020 election as well as in his classified records case.&nbsp; Sauer argued the case on presidential immunity before the U.S. Supreme Court, leading the high court to rule that presidents have immunity for nonofficial presidential acts.&nbsp;  Smith's classified records case was dismissed in July 2024 by U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida Judge Aileen Cannon, who ruled that Smith was unlawfully appointed as special counsel.&nbsp; Smith charged Trump in the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C., in his 2020 election case, but after Trump was elected president, Smith sought to dismiss the case. Judge Tanya Chutkan granted that request.  Both cases were dismissed.&nbsp; The new legal team will take over Trump’s appeals in both Bragg’s case and James’ case.&nbsp; Trump was sentenced earlier in January by Judge Juan Merchan to an unconditional discharge after being found guilty on charges of falsifying business records. Merchan did not sentence the president to prison, but rather did not impose any punishment at all — no jail time, fines or probation.&nbsp; TRUMP TO TAKE MORE THAN 200 EXECUTIVE ACTIONS ON DAY ONE That sentence preserves Trump’s ability to appeal the conviction — which Sullivan &amp; Cromwell will take over.&nbsp;  As for James’ case against Trump, New York Judge Arthur Engoron, after a weekslong nonjury civil fraud trial, ruled in 2024 that Trump and defendants were liable for "persistent and repeated fraud," "falsifying business records," "issuing false financial statements," "conspiracy to falsify false financial statements," "insurance fraud," and "conspiracy to commit insurance fraud."&nbsp; But before the trial began, Engoron issued a summary judgment against Trump, making the subsequent trial a case over the penalty to be paid.&nbsp;  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP  Trump appealed the $454 million judgment. The appeal is pending before the New York Appeals Court.&nbsp; Judges on the New York appeals court appeared receptive in 2024 to the possibility of reversing or reducing the&nbsp;$454 million civil fraud&nbsp;judgment.&nbsp;