Trump lawyer John Dowd resigns; legal team will continue to cooperate in Russia probe
John Dowd.
John Dowd has resigned from the legal team for President Donald Trump in the special counsel’s investigation of Russian influence.
The Washington Post and the New York Times had early reports that were based on anonymous sources.
Jay Sekulow, another lawyer for Trump, confirmed the report when he told the Post and Politico, “John has been a valuable part of the team and a friend and we will continue to cooperate fully with the special counsel.”
In an email to the Post, Dowd wrote, “I love the president and wish him well.”
Dowd’s resignation follows reports of a possible shakeup on the president’s legal team.
Dowd was said to be considering resigning because he has no control over the president’s behavior. And Trump had reportedly discussed whether to fire lawyer Ty Cobb, who, like Dowd, had urged cooperation in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
Sources told the Post that Dowd’s decision to resign was largely a mutual decision. The article reports that, in recent weeks, Dowd had “disagreed vehemently with Trump over a legal strategy.”
The Times report says Dowd has objected to Trump sitting for an interview with Mueller, while the president wanted to agree to the interview. It’s not clear if that difference was the source of the disagreement.
Earlier this week, Gibson Dunn partner Theodore Olson turned down a recent overture by Trump to serve on the team. Trump did hire one new lawyer: Joseph diGenova, who had claimed on Fox News that a group within the FBI and Justice Department wanted to frame Trump if he won the election.
