Donald Trump is bleeding lawyers as quickly as he needs them, with Jim Trusty—once representing the former president in both his criminal documents case and a defamation lawsuit—moving to end his relationship with Trump altogether on Friday.
Trusty wrote in a motion that he was dropping Trump as a client in his defamation suit against CNN because of “irreconcilable differences” that made it impossible for him to “effectively and properly represent” him.
“The defamation lawsuit against CNN is entering a new phase, as more irrefutable facts are revealed,” a spokesperson for Trump told Politico. “We thank Mr. Trusty for his work on this case and wish him all the best.”
Trump is seeking $475 million in damages from CNN, claiming the network conducted a “campaign of dissuasion in the form of libel and slander.”
CNN has asked the judge for the case to be “dismissed with prejudice.”
The motion to withdraw from Trusty came after he’d already removed himself as counsel to Trump, as did the attorney John Rowley, in the federal documents case brought by special counsel Jack Smith. That criminal case relates to sensitive government documents that Trump allegedly kept after his time in the White House and his alleged obstruction of the federal investigation.
Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges in Florida on Tuesday.
Trump is reportedly still looking to hire more lawyers to beef up his defense, but has been struggling to find someone willing and qualified to take the gig.
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