Attorney John Lauro is joining the team and will be working alongside Todd Blanche. Lauro will be solely focused on special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the aftermath of the 2020 election. Trump has been attempting to hire a seasoned, Florida-based attorney for nearly two months now. William Barzee, a Miami-based former public defender, visited Trump at his Bedminster golf club last Thursday and could be added to the team soon, a source familiar with the trip told CNN. The former Florida solicitor general, Chris Kise, also appeared in court for Trump’s arraignment in the documents case last month and is still on the team. The team is trying to find out whether others in Trump’s orbit received target letters after Trump did Sunday night, the source said, but it’s not clear if they have any evidence to support that claim or if they’re being lied to. The president was indicted on federal charges in a separate investigation into his alleged mishandling of national security secrets six weeks ago and continues to work on adding more weight to his legal team focused on fighting those charges. The charges are related to efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, which Trump says he will do if he is re-elected in 2023, but he has not said if he will. The case is still in the hands of the special counsel, Jack Smith, who is looking into whether Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia to try to influence the outcome of the presidential election in the 2020s, according to a person close to him. The White House has declined to comment on Lauro’s addition to the legal team, and a Trump spokesman has also declined to say if the former prosecutor will be on the Trump legal team for the 2020 campaign or for the 2018 campaign. The Trump team is also seeking to learn whether special counsel has evidence, witnesses they don’t know about, the person said, and whether they can use that information to their advantage in the case against the former president. The investigation is still ongoing, and Smith has not revealed whether Trump will be indicted in the federal investigation or if he’ll be charged in a state or local criminal case in New York or New Jersey. The probe is also looking into the possibility of a Russian influence campaign in the 2016 election, though the White House hasn’t said if that’s the case or if it’s related to the 2016 presidential election or a separate probe into Russia’s election meddling. The special counsel’s office has not released a report on the investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York has not commented on the new addition to Trump’s legal team but has said it is investigating the matter. The attorney general’s office declined to respond to a request for comment from Lauro, who practices out of Florida and New York, on the addition of a new criminal defense attorney to the Trump team. He has also represented Trump attorneys Christina Bobb and Alina Habba, and has worked with Trump on other legal matters.
Trump quietly adds new attorney to January 6 legal team. Trump’s inauguration is set for January 6. Trump will be represented by his son-in-law, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
