The Justice Department offered more insight into how it addressed conflicts of interest when Robert Mueller was appointed special counsel for the Trump-Russia investigation
shows that a top Justice Department ethics official concluded that Mueller’s sterling reputation and lengthy history of federal service meant it was unlikely any reasonable person would doubt his independence.The head of Justice’s ethics office, Cynthia Shaw, suggested such doubts were exceedingly unlikely.
Shaw doesn’t mention the client’s name but it appears to be former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who was represented by Wilmer partner Reginald Brown before Manafort switched to other attorneys a couple of months before his indictment in October 2017. Wilmer Hale also did legal work for the president’s daughter and son-in-law, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, primarily on compliance with federal ethics and financial disclosure laws.
In June 2017, one of Trump’s personal lawyers did call Mueller’s office to complain about the alleged conflicts, including Mueller’s work for Wilmer Hale, according to the special counsel’s report. Around the same time, close Trump friend Chris Ruddy gavedecrying “real conflicts” for Mueller and specifically mentioning Mueller’s status at the law firm.
The disclosure of the memo is obviously belated, coming more than two years after Mueller’s appointment and about five months after he closed up shop.
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