Trump's Lawyer: Lawbreaker Or Loophole Artist?

There have been several instances where Donald Trump and his lawyers have been accused of breaking the law. In 2025, Trump's administration was accused of violating rules, laws, and the Constitution. This included granting Elon Musk's team access to sensitive government data, which legal experts claimed contravened multiple federal statutes. Trump has also been accused of sexual assault and sexual harassment, with one accusation resulting in civil liability. In 2024, Trump was convicted of falsifying business records related to hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Trump's lawyer, Michael Cohen, pleaded guilty to campaign finance crimes in conjunction with the payment. In 2023, a federal judge fined Trump and his attorney nearly $1 million, characterizing him as a prolific and sophisticated litigant who is repeatedly using the courts to seek revenge on political adversaries.

Trump's lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid adult film star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to cover up allegations of an affair

In March 2023, former US President Donald Trump was indicted regarding hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels (real name Stephanie Clifford). Trump's lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid Daniels $130,000 as part of a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) before the 2016 election. The payment was made through an LLC set up by Cohen, who claimed he used his own money.

In February 2018, Daniels sued the LLC, asking to be released from the agreement so she could tell her story. Cohen filed a private arbitration proceeding and obtained a restraining order to keep her from discussing the case. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump denied the allegations. Cohen, with Trump's approval, asked for Daniels' suit to be moved from state to federal court, given that they lived in different states and the matter concerned a large sum. Cohen asserted that Daniels could owe $20 million in liquidated damages for breaching the agreement.

In early April 2018, Trump said he hadn't known about the payment, why Cohen had made it, or where the money had come from. On April 30, Daniels further sued Trump for defamation. In May 2018, Trump's annual financial disclosure revealed that he reimbursed Cohen in 2017 for expenditures related to the Daniels case.

In August 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to breaking campaign finance laws, admitting to making hush money payments of $130,000 and $150,000 "at the direction of a candidate for federal office" to two women who alleged affairs with that candidate. The figures match sums paid to Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal. Cohen was sentenced to three years in federal prison.

In December 2018, Trump denied directing Cohen to make the hush payments, but NBC News reported that Trump was present in a meeting in August 2015 where the payment was discussed. In 2019, Cohen testified to Congress that Trump did order him to pay Daniels $130,000 as hush money and then lie about the payment.

In March 2023, Trump was indicted on the matter. In May 2024, he was convicted on all 34 felony counts. He became the first US president to be convicted of a felony in any state or federal court.

Trump's administration fired a team of Justice Department lawyers who brought two criminal cases against him

On Monday, 27 January 2025, the Trump administration fired more than a dozen Justice Department lawyers who brought two criminal cases against him. The lawyers were part of former special counsel Jack Smith's team, which investigated Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents and his alleged attempt to overturn his 2020 election defeat.

The firings came after Acting Attorney General James McHenry, a Trump appointee, concluded that the lawyers "could not be trusted to faithfully implement the President's agenda because of their significant role in prosecuting the President." McHenry cited Trump's power as chief executive under the US Constitution to justify the firings.

The lawyers worked with Special Counsel Jack Smith, who led the two federal prosecutions of Trump that the department dropped after his November election victory. Smith resigned from the department earlier in January.

The moves reflect a willingness by the Trump administration to follow through on threats to seek retribution against prosecutors who pursued Trump and his supporters during his four years out of office. Trump and his allies view the Justice Department with deep suspicion after prosecutors accused the president of national security and election-related crimes.

The firings are part of a broader shake-up of the Justice Department's workforce, which has happened before the US Senate votes on Trump's attorney general nominee, Pam Bondi. Bondi has echoed Trump's view that federal prosecutions against him were political persecution, claiming that the department "had been weaponised for years and years and years".

Trump's administration reassigned senior career Justice Department officials

On 22 January 2025, news broke that the Trump administration had reassigned close to 20 senior Justice Department officials. The group included at least four officials who had each served in the Justice Department for 12 years or longer, and had kept their roles as control of the White House shifted between the Democratic and Republican parties.

The reassigned officials included Bruce Swartz, the longtime head of the Justice Department's office of international affairs, and George Toscas, a veteran deputy assistant attorney general in the department's national security division. Corey Amundson, the chief of the Public Integrity Section, was also reassigned, and later resigned.

The reassignments were part of a leadership shakeup ahead of the expected confirmation of Trump's pick for attorney general, Pam Bondi. The moves went against typical department practice, and were criticised as an "assault on expertise in the government".

The Justice Department brought two criminal cases against Trump during his four years out of power, one for his attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat and another over retaining classified documents. Trump's executive order, signed on the same day as the reassignments, claimed that the "prior administration and allies throughout the country engaged in an unprecedented, third-world weaponization of prosecutorial power".

Trump's administration froze all federal grants and loans across the government

In a bid to stop "Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies", the Trump administration froze all federal grants and loans across the government, amounting to about $1 trillion. This move was not only politically motivated but also a massive legal and constitutional breach.

Under the Constitution, the power of the purse lies with Congress, which appropriates the money for the activities of the federal government. The president cannot unilaterally decide to put an indefinite blanket freeze on spending or refuse to spend money without involving Congress.

This action by the Trump administration is reminiscent of Richard Nixon, who abused the power of the purse, leading Congress to pass the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to curb this practice. According to the law, the president must notify Congress of their intent to withhold allocated funds, and Congress can accept or reject this proposal. If Congress does not act within a certain timeframe, the funds must be released.

By freezing all federal grants and loans, the Trump administration undermined the role of Congress and, by extension, the Constitution. This move is indicative of a broader pattern of the administration's willingness to test the boundaries of executive authority and push the limits of presidential power.

The freezing of federal grants and loans had far-reaching implications, affecting various sectors such as education and healthcare. The move sparked an uproar, with the opposition party waking up to the situation and judges beginning to rule against it. Ultimately, Trump was forced to back down from this unconstitutional action.

Trump's administration took over the Treasury Department's payment system

On February 6, 2025, the Trump administration agreed to restrict the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) access to the Treasury Department's payment systems. This decision came in response to a lawsuit accusing the Treasury of committing an "unlawful action" by granting Elon Musk's DOGE access to sensitive payment records and personal data.

The lawsuit was filed by union members and retirees, who argued that providing DOGE access to the federal government's payment and collections system violated federal privacy laws. The complaint specifically mentioned that newly appointed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's decision to allow DOGE access to the secure system was unlawful and put the personal information of Americans at risk.

In response to the lawsuit, the Trump administration filed a motion to restrict DOGE's access to the Treasury's payment systems. The proposed order stated that the defendants would not provide access to any payment record or system maintained by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, except for two special government employees, Tom Krause and Marko Elez, who would be permitted "read-only" access as needed to perform their duties.

This restriction on DOGE's access to the Treasury's payment systems was a significant development, as there were concerns about the potential misuse of sensitive data and the possibility of obstructing the flow of money to specific federal agencies or individuals. The role of the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, a nonpartisan arm of the Treasury Department, in managing federal payments, including Social Security benefits and federal tax returns, further emphasized the seriousness of the situation.

The agreement to restrict DOGE's access was a temporary measure pending a subsequent hearing on the lawsuit. The outcome of the hearing and the long-term implications for the Treasury Department's payment systems remain to be seen.

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