Law firms representing Trump worry about undermining electoral system

Attorneys at Jones Day, one of the nation’s largest law firms, are expressing concerns that their firm’s involvement in lawsuits tied to the 2020 presidential election threatens their reputations.

Further, some lawyers at Jones Day and Porter Wright Morris & Arthur have also expressed that their involvement in what have been largely deemed baseless allegations into voter fraud could “undermine the integrity of American elections,” according to a report in The New York Times.

A sign posted on a front lawn in Philadelphia has its say as general election ballots were being tabulated. The state was called for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Saturday, propelling him past the requisite 270 electoral votes to winning the presidency. (Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images)

Both firms are involved in lawsuits in Pennsylvania alleging voting “irregularities,” as President Donald Trump and his re-election campaign staff refuse to accept defeat.

One attorney has already quit in protest.

According to the Times report, nine lawyers spoke to the newspaper under the condition of anonymity in order to protect their jobs.

They expressed that there are growing concerns inside both companies about the propriety and wisdom of working with Trump, who has a history of inflammatory rhetoric that could be damaging to the firms’ public images.

A pop-up mural painted Friday across the street from Jones Day’s San Francisco offices read “Jones Day, Hands Off Our Ballots,” indicating unfavorable local public opinion on the lawsuits.

Officials in 45 states have reported that no widespread fraud has taken place on their watch, and that in fact, despite record turnout amid the coronavirus pandemic, the elections in their states were successful.

Jones Day partner Don McGahn left his role there for a short time to work as the president’s White House counsel. He and his company handled a number of lawsuits linked to the Russia investigation into 2016 election interference. Two other partners in the firm currently work inside the administration.

One lawyer at Jones Day told the Times that taking on lawsuits that could possibly undermine the results of the 2020 presidential election “seems extremely shortsighted.”

Porter Wright Morris & Arthur managing partner Robert J. Tannous said that Ohio-based firm has a “long history of representing candidates, political parties, interest groups and individuals at the local, state and federal level on both sides of the aisle, and as a law firm will continue to do so.”

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