- Trump paid attorney Christopher M. Kise $3 million. The New York Times called it “abnormally expensive.”
- The retainer was reportedly paid through his Save America PAC.
- The competence of Trump’s current legal team has been questioned by his advisers and others.
After being rejected by several other lawyers, former President Donald Trump ended up paying a very hefty sum for a high-profile lawyer.
Former Florida Attorney General Christopher M. Kise has agreed to defend Trump with an “abnormally high” $3 million retainer, the New York Times reported Friday, citing two unnamed people familiar with the matter. Citing sources.
The figure, paid by Trump’s Save America PAC, according to Politico, is significant because Trump is notorious for not paying his bills, according to NBC News.
The former president reportedly recently had trouble finding a reliable defense attorney, a problem he faced before.
As Trump continues to face legal crises, his advisers and former lawyers say the quality of his legal team has taken a turn for the worse. Aside from Kise, Trump’s former legal team includes “a Florida insurance attorney who never experienced a federal lawsuit, a former general counsel for a parking lot company, and a former host of propaganda his cable outlet.” He was reported by MSNBC, citing his post in Washington. .
Kise appeared in the Supreme Court on four lawsuits and previously worked with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, CNN reported in August after Kise was confirmed to be part of the legal team. . He will take on both the Trump classified documents case and the January 6 case.
Kise is credited with helping DeSantis become governor in 2018, according to Law and Crime.
Trump has faced numerous legal battles, and his legal team has also been at the center of controversy since the 2020 election and the Jan. 6 riots.
Trump’s former attorney, Eric Hershman, questioned the competence of some of the attorneys on the team, The Times reported. Two of Trump’s attorneys, M. Evan Corcoran and Christina Bob, have been vetted, The Times reported.
Contrary to Corcoran and Bob’s assurances, an August FBI raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home revealed that Trump had over 100 classified documents.
A Trump spokesperson did not immediately respond to an insider’s request for comment.
