The lawyer representing Donald Trump in the various investigations into his campaign’s ties to Russia recently responded to a critic by telling him to “watch your back , b*****.”
The lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, was contacted by a retired public relations professional who was troubled by a recent ProPublica article about him.
The public relations professional sent an email to Mr Kasowitz with the subject line: “Resign Now”.
“You don’t know me. I don’t know you. But I believe it is in your interest and the long-term interest of your firm for you to resign from your position advising the President,” he wrote.
Mr Kasowitz initially responded, simply: “F*** you.”
Over the course of the next 30 minutes, however, the lawyer continued to harangue the man, urging him to “Call me. Don’t be afraid, you piece of s*** Stand up”.
“I already know where you live, I’m on you,” he continued. “You might as well call me.You will see me. I promise. Bro.”
In yet another email, the lawyer said: “I’m on you now. You are f****ing with me now Let’s see who you are Watch your back , b****.”
Following the publication of the email exchange, Mr Sitrick sent a statement to The Atlantic's Rosie Gray saying that Mr Kasowtiz intended to apologise to the recipient.
"The person sending that email is entitled to his opinion and I should not have responded in that inappropriate manner," Mr Kasowitz said in the statement. "...This is one of those times where one wishes he could reverse the clock, but of course can't."
The critic told ProPublica he was so disturbed by Mr Kasowitz's emails, he forwarded them to the FBI to ensure they were recorded. Legal experts contacted by ProPublica disagreed as to whether the written threats constituted a crime.
The email exchange stemmed from a recent ProPublica article, which claimed Mr Kasowitz could have trouble getting a security clearance because of an alleged history of alcohol abuse.
Mr Kasowitz’s spokesperson, Mike Sitrick, has since denied several aspects of the story, including the alleged history of alcoholism.
While Mr Trump has employed Mr Kasowitz frequently over the last 15 years, The New York Times reports that his relationship with the White House has recently gone south.
Three people close to Mr Trump’s legal team told The Times that the President has grown disillusioned with Mr Kasowitz – and the lawyer has become frustrated with Mr Trump, too. The sources suggested that Mr Kasowitz may soon resign.
Mr Kasowitz’s spokesman responded briefly to these reports on Wednesday, saying simply: “The NYT story is not accurate.”
