President-elect Donald J. Trump is said to be considering New York lawyer Robert (Bob) Giuffra, co-chair of Sullivan & Cromwell, for his U.S. Attorney General pick. While Giuffra has much legal experience, many Trump supporters see him as having questionable loyalty and lacking the fortitude needed to take on the level of partisan entrenchment at the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Giuffra’s political donations include gifts to ‘Team DeSantis 2024,’ the McConnell Senate Committee, and Ted Cruz’s campaign against Donald Trump in 2016. As Trump took the lead in late summer, Giuffra donated to the Trump Victory Committee.
MUELLER PROBE.
Notably, Giuffra turned down an offer to join President Trump’s legal team during the Robert Mueller probe, which falsely targeted the America First leader and his 2016 presidential campaign over alleged ties to Russia. Mueller’s probe would eventually end, producing no evidence of wrongdoing by Trump or his allies, and was largely dismissed as seriously flawed by the subsequent Durham report led by U.S. Attorney John Henry Durham.
Further, the Mueller probe—along with the Democratic Party’s partisan lawfare surrounding the Russia allegations—was heavily reliant on dubiously authorized FISA warrants and alleged confidential human intelligence sources. The use of FISA wiretaps and human intel sources was largely panned by the Horowitz report, with the Inspector General for Homeland Security calling into question the legal basis of the FISA wiretaps, which were based on fairly blatant false intelligence and the manipulation of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) communications by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The fact that Giuffra shied away from these fights and ultimately left the work to U.S. government employees John Durham and Michael E. Horowitz has Trump allies concerned that Americans will see a repeat performance at the Department of Justice.
SULLIVAN & CROMWELL’S DEI PROBLEM.
In addition to declining to represent Trump during the Mueller probe, Giuffra’s firm—of which he is co-chair—Sullivan & Cromwell is heavily involved in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The firm has a Diversity Committee and a Diversity Management Department. Together, these two entities have implemented extensive DEI programs at Sullivan & Cromwell.
According to the law firm’s website, it boasts “three active associate networks: the Asian Associates Network, the LGBTQ+ Network, and the Network of Black & Latinx Lawyers (NOBLL).” In addition, Sullivan & Cromwell states its “Women’s Initiative Committee (WIC) is also open to all lawyers and works to enhance the experience of those who identify as women by focusing on their retention and development by fostering informal networking and mentoring opportunities.”
Also concerning is Sullivan & Cromwell’s emphasis on promoting individuals because of their race, gender, or sexual identification over talent.
Image via Sullivan and Cromwell.