Kamala Harris calls out DC law firms that gave into Trump’s demands

Former Vice President Kamala Harris recently criticized several well-known Washington, D.C., law firms for making deals with the Trump administration. These deals involved the firms offering a large amount of free legal work in exchange for avoiding punishments imposed by the administration.

The main issue comes from President Trump’s use of executive orders to go after law firms he saw as opponents. These orders cut off the firms’ connections to the administration, blocking them from federal buildings and contracts. This move seemed intended to scare firms away from representing people or groups that criticized the administration or were involved in lawsuits against it.

Per Business Insider, the financial and reputational damage to these firms was serious, leading some to make agreements to avoid further trouble. One of the firms that made such a deal was Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, where Kamala Harris’s husband, Doug Emhoff, works. As part of the agreement, the firm promised to do a significant amount of unpaid legal work. The exact details—like what kind of cases they would handle and how long the deal would last—aren’t fully public.

Harris Calls out DC firms who gave into Trump’s pressure

Harris’s public statements didn’t directly name Willkie Farr & Gallagher, but many see them as a criticism of firms that cooperated with the Trump administration. She said she was worried that fear was causing organizations to stay quiet or give in to threats. This seems to suggest she believes the firms chose business survival over standing up against what some consider unconstitutional behavior.

TMZ reported that Harris said, “There is a sense of fear that has been taking hold in our country. And I understand it. But we’re seeing people stay quiet. We are seeing organizations stay quiet. We are seeing those who are capitulating to clearly unconstitutional threats.”

Emhoff disagreed with the deal and told the firm’s leaders they should resist the pressure from the Trump administration. This situation creates a possible conflict of interest, since Harris was a major opponent of the Trump administration while her husband worked at a firm that made a deal with it. It’s unclear how much Emhoff’s objections influenced the firm’s decision or whether he took any further action.

Former President Barack Obama also commented on the situation, saying he was concerned about the example set by the Trump administration’s actions. He worried that if the executive branch could single out law firms, it might weaken the rule of law and make institutions less willing to stick to their principles under political pressure.