Representative Adriano Espaillat Denounces President Trump’s Attacks on the Legal Community

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) spoke on the U.S. House floor to denounce Donald Trump’s unprecedented attack on the legal community. 

Watch video of Rep. Espaillat speak on the House floor. The following are remarks, as prepared for delivery: 

“The President and his cronies are shaking down the legal world in an unprecedented manner. In the past few weeks, the President has targeted certain law firms that he has deemed a threat against his goals to impose his illegal agenda. Through his executive orders, he has threatened the revocation of government security clearances and prohibitions on entering federal buildings. Two of these law firms, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and Paul Weiss, immediately settled to avoid sanctions and committed a collective $140 million in pro bono work to support the Trump Administration. Other targeted law firms like WilmerHale, Jenner & Block, and Perkins Coie continue to challenge these orders in court. 

“House Republicans are also carrying out Trump’s attacks by insisting we take up legislation that would severely limit judicial ability to issue rulings that have nationwide effect.  Trump is attacking the legal world and judicial branch because both conservative and liberal judges and law firms have stood up to his illegal agenda to fire federal employees and freeze federal funds.”

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Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his fifth term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities and serves as Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the committee during the 119th Congress. He is Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), and serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.

Media inquiries: Candace Person at Candace.Person@mail.house.gov