President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Tuesday targeting a prominent law firm that represents former special counsel Jack Smith. The memo deprives Smith’s attorney of his security clearance, as well as any other attorneys at the firm who worked with Smith while he investigated Trump.
Covington and Burling LLP stated that it is representing Smith in a personal capacity, and according to a source familiar with the matter, there is no evidence that the law firm played any role in Smith’s criminal investigations of Trump.
The memo Trump signed Tuesday, which marks a significant increase in Trump’s targeting of those he considers political enemies, also directs the Office of Management and Budget to review any government contracts held by the law firm.
“One law firm that provided pro-bono legal services to the special counsel’s office under Jack Smith’s leadership was Covington and Burling,” White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf said about the memo as Trump moved to sign it during a ceremony on Tuesday.
“As a result of those actions, we will suspend and review the security clearances of the firm’s attorneys and employees who worked with Jack Smith’s team. And we will continue to hold those who were responsible for or supported the weaponization of government accountable for their actions.
Trump questioned Scharf about plans to do this with other law firms, and Scharf stated that the administration was considering a variety of options to take against other law firms. Trump tossed the pen to an attendee, joked, “Why don’t you give it to Jack Smith?” and referred to him as a “deranged” individual.
A reporter asked Trump if the action to revoke the attorneys’ security clearances constituted political targeting, but Trump cut the reporter off and stated that he was the target.
“I’ve been targeted for four years more than that. So you aren’t telling me about targeting?” Trump said. “I was targeted by corrupt politicians for four years, followed by another four years. So don’t tell me about targeting.”
A person familiar with Covington’s representation of Jack Smith responded to Trump’s action, saying, “There is no evidence the firm itself played any role in Special Counsel Smith’s investigation of Trump—and no evidence their representation of Smith had anything to do with his official duties.” Separately, Covington is not a federal contractor.
A spokesperson for the firm added that they recently agreed to represent Smith on an individual basis and look forward to defending him.
“For over a century, Covington has represented clients facing government investigations in accordance with the best traditions of the legal profession.
We recently agreed to represent Jack Smith after it became clear that he would be the subject of a government investigation. Covington serves as Jack Smith’s personal defense counsel. We appreciate Mr. Smith’s trust and look forward to defending his interests.
As special counsel, Smith oversaw investigations into both Trump’s handling of classified information and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
Both cases were dropped after Trump’s reelection in November, citing a longstanding Justice Department policy that prohibits prosecuting a sitting president.
Under Trump’s relentless personal attacks, Smith defended his actions as entirely legal, free of partisan influence, and critical to the justice system.
Before stepping down, Smith personally denounced Trump’s “laughable” and baseless attacks on federal prosecutors who brought two criminal cases against him.
