Trump turned down a top lawyer's services during the Russia investigation, with colleagues suspecting he wasn't 'bombastic' enough, book says
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- A top lawyer met Trump during the Russia investigation to discuss representing him, a new book says.
- But Stephen Brogan, of the top law firm Jones Day, did not end up getting the job, the book said.
- Jones Day partners reportedly believed Trump wanted "someone a bit more bombastic" than Brogan.
Former President Donald Trump turned down a top lawyer's services during the Russia investigation, with the attorney's colleagues suspecting it was because he wasn't "bombastic" enough, a new book says.
The book by the New York Times reporter David Enrich — titled "Servants of the Damned: Giant Law Firms, Donald Trump and the Corruption of Justice" — was excerpted by The Guardian. It's set to be published later this month.
It said Trump turned down the services of Stephen Brogan, the managing partner of the influential Jones day law firm, The Guardian reported.
Brogan met with Trump in the White House at least twice to discuss potentially representing him amid the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections and links between Trump associates and Russian officials, Enrich wrote. It is unclear when these meetings took place.
Some at Jones Day were worried about these meetings, because it would tie the firm to Trump, who was already facing a mountain of legal challenges at the time, Enrich wrote, per The Guardian. Brogan was advised to pull back, but the lawyer persisted, Enrich wrote.
"In the end, Brogan didn't get the job," Enrich wrote, according to The Guardian. "The feeling among some senior Jones Day partners was that Trump wanted someone a bit more bombastic than Brogan as his defender-in-chief."
Brogan, Jones Day, and Trump representatives did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Trump ended up hiring John Dowd, a former federal prosecutor, to represent him in the Russia investigation. Dowd had strongly pushed back against Trump having to testify before Robert Mueller, the probe's special counsel, and pushed for Mueller's resignation. He quit the team in 2018, while the investigation was ongoing.
Trump then hired the former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani in April 2018. As Trump's personal lawyer, Giuliani pushed multiple conspiracy theories and is now a target in Georgia's investigation into election interference in 2020.
The release of the book excerpt comes amid a tumultuous time for the former president, who has reportedly struggled to find good lawyers to represent him as he faces more legal challenges, including his battle with the Department of Justice over the FBI search of his Mar-a-Lago residence last month.
"Everyone is saying no," a Republican lawyer, who was not named, told The Washington Post last month. Trump has denied the report, saying he was happy with his current lawyers.
Trump seemed so desperate for representation that in April 2022 he offered one of his current lawyers, Evan Corcoran, a job without having ever met him, The Washington Post reported.
"The president got on the call, asked him his name, and if he wanted to do this work, and he said yes," a person familiar with Corcoran's exchange with Trump told The Post.
Trump's other lawyers include the former federal prosecutor Jim Trusty, former New Jersey parking garage lawyer Alina Habba, and former One America News anchor Christina Bobb.
Last week, Trump hired the former Florida solicitor general Chris Kise to represent him in the Mar-a-Lago probe, CNN reported. Kise has won cases before the Supreme Court before and previously worked with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The Russia investigation, which lasted from 2017 to 2019, ultimately found that though the Trump campaign welcomed Russian interference, there was insufficient evidence of a criminal conspiracy.