Trump upends his defence by hiring new lead lawyer hours before arraignment
Todd Blanche is a former partner for one of the most elite law firms in New York
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Former president Donald Trump upended his legal defence strategy before he faces arraignment by hiring a new lead defence attorney, according to Politico.
Mr Trump hired Todd Blanche, a former partner at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, to serve as the lead counsel to handle his legal defence for the Manhattan district attorney’s indictment.
A spokesperson for Cadwalader did not respond to a request for comment from Politico.
Mr Blanche told Politico in an email that he resigned from the firm because “I have been asked to represent Trump in the recently charged DA case, and after much thought/consideration, I have decided it is the best thing for me to do and an opportunity I should not pass up.”
Along with Mr Trump, Mr Blanche has represented former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and Igor Furman, a former associate of Rudy Giuliani who pleaded guilty to campaign finance charges that the previous Mahattan district attorney Cyrus Vance brought.
Additionally, Susan Necheles and Joe Tacopina will also represent the former president in the legal proceedings.
Mr Trump is set to be arraigned on Tuesday for his role in reimbursing his former attorney Michael Cohen for paying adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
The investigation began under Mr Vance but continued under current District Attorney Alvin Bragg. A grand jury voted to indict the former president last week before it left for a pre-planned break.
Mr Blanche called the investigation “politically motivated,” which Mr Trump and his allies have repeated, per Politico. Cadwalader is New York’s oldest law firm and considered one of its most well-respected. Mr Blanche said in his resignation email that “obviously, doing this as a partner at Cadwalader was not an option, so I have had to make the difficult choice to leave the firm.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments