John Dowd Calls Mueller 'Terrific' After Passing Trump Baton
Dowd said representing the president was hard work, and now he wants to "just take it easy, and get some rest."
March 28, 2018 at 03:34 PM
3 minute read
The original version of this story was published on National Law Journal
After 39 weeks and six days working for President Donald Trump, John Dowd figures he deserves a break.
“I think what I'm trying to do is just take it easy, and get some rest,” Dowd said after awaking from an afternoon nap on Tuesday, five days after quitting as the lead lawyer helping Trump navigate special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe.
“I'm not going to discuss why I resigned,” Dowd said. “It was very hard work. You had to pay attention every day.”
A former Marine Corps captain who retired from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld's partnership in 2015, Dowd joined the president's private legal team last June. By the time he left on March 22, he and Trump were reportedly clashing on strategy and on Trump's efforts to hire more attorneys.
(Dowd was back in the headlines again on Wednesday, after The New York Times cited anonymous sources to report that he had raised the idea of presidential pardons with lawyers for two of Mueller's targets, Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort. Dowd told the Times the report was untrue.)
Now that he is no longer obliged to serve his embattled Oval Office client, Dowd, who is in his 70s, said he plans to enjoy his family and simply relax. He noted he has “done a lot of pro bono” in the past, but said he would take some before deciding how much lawyering is in his future.
When it comes to his feelings for the president, Dowd said: “I really do wish him well. I'm in his corner.” But he also expressed admiration for Mueller—even as others on Trump's legal team have taken pains to criticize the special counsel's investigation.
“I have said before and I'll say again: We had a terrific relationship with Mueller—the best that I can recall in my 50 years of practice. It was terrific, completely open, people trusted each other, and we had no misunderstandings,” Dowd said.
While he led the president's team, Dowd said, he was always the one to speak to Mueller on the telephone. “I expect Jay is doing that now,” Dowd said, referring to Trump personal lawyer Jay Sekulow.
Sekulow regularly accompanied him when he had meetings with Mueller's team, Dowd said.
As for the apparent turmoil on Trump's legal team leading up to and in the wake of his departure, Dowd demurred.
“I have exited the stage,” he said.
Read more:
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
Bitnomial Exchange Preemptively Sues SEC Over Alleged Enforcement Conflict With CFTC
4 minute read
Binance's Singapore-Based General Counsel Is Shattering Crypto's 'Bro Ceiling'
4 minute read
Mango Labs Sues Ex-Employees for Over $10M After 'Egregious' Governance Nightmare
4 minute read
Trending Stories
Who Got The Work
Dechert partners Andrew J. Levander, Angela M. Liu and Neil A. Steiner have stepped in to defend Arbor Realty Trust and certain executives in a pending securities class action. The complaint, filed July 31 in New York Eastern District Court by Levi & Korsinsky, contends that the defendants concealed a 'toxic' mobile home portfolio, vastly overstated collateral in regards to the company's loans and failed to disclose an investigation of the company by the FBI. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Pamela K. Chen, is 1:24-cv-05347, Martin v. Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Arthur G. Jakoby, Ryan Feeney and Maxim M.L. Nowak from Herrick Feinstein have stepped in to defend Charles Dilluvio and Seacor Capital in a pending securities lawsuit. The complaint, filed Sept. 30 in New York Southern District Court by the Securities and Exchange Commission, accuses the defendants of using consulting agreements, attorney opinion letters and other mechanisms to skirt regulations limiting stock sales by affiliate companies and allowing the defendants to unlawfully profit from sales of Enzolytics stock. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Andrew L. Carter Jr., is 1:24-cv-07362, Securities and Exchange Commission v. Zhabilov et al.
Who Got The Work
Clark Hill members Vincent Roskovensky and Kevin B. Watson have entered appearances for Architectural Steel and Associated Products in a pending environmental lawsuit. The complaint, filed Aug. 27 in Pennsylvania Eastern District Court by Brodsky & Smith on behalf of Hung Trinh, accuses the defendant of discharging polluted stormwater from its steel facility without a permit in violation of the Clean Water Act. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Gerald J. Pappert, is 2:24-cv-04490, Trinh v. Architectural Steel And Associated Products, Inc.
Who Got The Work
Michael R. Yellin of Cole Schotz has entered an appearance for S2 d/b/a the Shoe Surgeon, Dominic Chambrone a/k/a Dominic Ciambrone and other defendants in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The case, filed July 15 in New York Southern District Court by DLA Piper on behalf of Nike, seeks to enjoin Ciambrone and the other defendants in their attempts to build an 'entire multifaceted' retail empire through their unauthorized use of Nike’s trademark rights. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald, is 1:24-cv-05307, Nike Inc. v. S2, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Sullivan & Cromwell partner Adam S. Paris has entered an appearance for Orthofix Medical in a pending securities class action arising from a proposed acquisition of SeaSpine by Orthofix. The suit, filed Sept. 6 in California Southern District Court, by Girard Sharp and the Hall Firm, contends that the offering materials and related oral communications contained untrue statements of material fact. According to the complaint, the defendants made a series of misrepresentations about Orthofix’s disclosure controls and internal controls over financial reporting and ethical compliance. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Linda Lopez, is 3:24-cv-01593, O'Hara v. Orthofix Medical Inc. et al.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
