The attorney who recently withdrew from former president Donald Trump’s case regarding his alleged mishandling of classified documents has now also withdrawn from Mr Trump’s lawsuit against CNN.
James Trusty sent a motion to withdraw as an attorney to the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida on Friday, asking to pull out of the case.
“Mr Trusty’s withdrawal is based on irreconcilable differences between Counsel and Plaintiff and Counsel can no longer effectively and properly represent plaintiff,” the motion read. The motion said that Mr Trusty’s withdrawal did not adversely affect Mr Trump as oral arguments on CNN’s motion to dismiss had not been scheduled, discovery had not yet begun and no deadlines are pending.
The motion also said that Lindsey Halligan continued to serve Mr Trump.
“Based upon these facts, Counsel requests to be withdrawn as attorney of record for Donald J Trump,” the motion reads.
Mr Trump filed a lawsuit against the cable news channel last year alleging that CNN defamed the former president and his Make America Great Again movement by comparing it to the rise of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. Mr Trump’s lawsuit seeks $475m in punitive damages. The lawsuit alleges that CNN “fears” him running for president again.
The withdrawal comes as Mr Trump faces multiple ongoing legal headaches. Last week, a federal grand jury under the supervision of Special Counsel Jack Smith indicted him for his mishandling of documents related to national security.
Mr Trump pleaded not guilty to the 37 charges he faces when he appeared for his arraignment in a federal court in Miami on Tuesday.
But shortly after the announcement, Mr Trump said that Mr Trusty and fellow attorney John Rowley withdrew from defending him.
“I want to thank Jim Trusty and John Rowley for their work, but they were up against a very dishonest, corrupt, evil, and ‘sick’ group of people, the likes of which has not been seen before,” he said. “We will be announcing additional lawyers in the coming days.”
Mr Trump also faces criminal charges in New York over hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. He also faces investigations into the January 6 riot at the US Capitol, and a probe into efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.
