(CNN) – The prominent New York lawyer expected to represent President Donald Trump in the widening Russia probes has professional connections of his own to Moscow, which could create yet another public-relations problem for the White House.
Marc Kasowitz, who has been Trump’s go-to lawyer for years on both personal and business matters, is defending a Russian bank, OJSC Sberbank, in an ongoing lawsuit in US court. He also represents a company controlled by a Russian billionaire, Oleg Deripaska, who has close ties to the Kremlin.
Kasowitz’ clients with Russian ties may not pose any legal conflicts of interests as he prepares to help Trump navigate an investigation that the president calls “a witch hunt.” But the optics of the situation — a lawyer with Russian-linked clients representing a president, whose campaign is being investigated for alleged collusion with Russia — could make a messy situation for Trump even messier.
Larry Noble, general counsel for the non-partisan Campaign Legal Center, said Kasowitz’ client list could potentially raise questions for the White House.
“Could there be some line of communication between these clients and the White House? Is there any situation where the interests of one conflicts with the other? These are the questions that come up,” Noble said in an interview.
Josh Galper, a crisis management attorney and co-founder of the firm Trident DMG, said if Kasowitz is hired, as expected, his clients with Russian ties could become another unnecessary distraction for the White House.
“The first rule of crisis management is not to create another crisis for yourself through the people that are representing you,” Galper said. “When you’re in an environment like the White House, you have to apply judgment to problems of appearance.”
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Marc Kasowitz, President Trump's lawyer in the Russia probes, has Russian ties of his own https://t.co/KLcnZna5Ol pic.twitter.com/fNpXiIzx3I
— CNN (@CNN) May 25, 2017
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