Who Is Abbe Lowell? Trump May Pick Attorney For Personal Legal Team

Veteran defense attorney Abbe Lowell might be added to President Donald Trump’s personal legal team ahead of the midterm elections, according to officials familiar with the issue, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

Talk of the possible appointment comes amidst the report which said Trump’s advisers and allies are increasingly worried that in case of a possible Democratic takeover of the House, which can give them the power to pursue impeachment charges, the president has neither the staff nor the strategy to protect himself.

There was an increased talk among allies of how Trump’s current legal team is not equipped enough in case of an onslaught of congressional demands. Many said there were broad discussions about bringing on new, more experienced lawyers to take care of white-collar defense and political scandals.

Lowell, working with Winston & Strawn, currently represents Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, in the special counsel probe into Russian interference in the 2016 elections. Trump and some of his advisors want him in the president’s personal legal team in case of an impeachment battle or other fights after the midterm elections.

Lowell left his former firm Norton Rose and joined Winston & Strawn in May. He is one of the country’s foremost white collar defense and trial lawyers, his profile in the law firm's website read.

He took part in cases in more than a dozen states, led complex investigations and navigated his clients through congressional and administrative proceedings. A graduate from Columbia University, Lowell was the chief of the Minority Counsel to the House of Representatives during the impeachment proceedings against the then-President Bill Clinton.

He also represented many high-profile political figures like Bob Menendez, Jim Wright, Dan Rostenkowski, Charles Keating, Joe Bruno, Gary Condit, and Jim Gibbons.

Trump’s legal team dwindled in size over the course of his presidency after facing many departures. During the earlier period of Trump’s presidency, the office had 35 lawyers. At the moment, there are just 25, according to White House officials.

“Winter is coming,” a Trump ally told The Washington Post. “Assuming Democrats win the House, which we all believe is a very strong likelihood, the White House will be under siege. But it’s like tumbleweeds rolling down the halls over there. Nobody’s prepared for war.”

According to the report, Trump had talked to some confidants about the highly competent lawyers employed by his aides, taking the example of Lowell and William A. Burck who represented both Don McGahn and Reince Priebus, the former White House chief of staff.

“He wonders why he doesn’t have lawyers like that,” a person who discussed the matter with Trump said. Another advisor said Trump talked recently about how he needed lawyers like Lowell.

Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s attorney, said he has not heard anything about the POTUS considering adding Lowell to his personal legal team. But he added that Lowell would be a great addition due to his aggressive and thorough style.

“This president might like that better,” Giuliani said. “If he thinks someone isn’t being tough enough, he has a tendency to go out to defend himself. And that’s not good.”

People familiar with the matter told The Washington Post that it was unclear whether Lowell would be interested or have time for taking on cases for Trump as he was already representing Kushner.