After much fanfare upon joining Trump’s legal team just weeks ago, Kise seemed to quickly sink without a trace.
He was paid — not by Trump but reportedly by his key fundraising operation, the Save America political action committee — to represent the former president after the FBI seized White House records at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida resort, in August. Yet Kise did not appear to play a role in the latest filing in the Justice Department case Wednesday night.
That’s because he wants to reduce tensions with the department in the clash over the documents, sources told the Post.
Now that officials have the records, perhaps prosecutors could be persuaded to settle the issue quickly and quietly, Kise reportedly counseled his new client, who wasn’t receptive to the message. Amid the upset, infighting among lawyers on Trump’s team has continued for a week or more, the Post reported.
The paper’s sources said that Kise, a former solicitor general, has quietly questioned the wisdom and experience of some members of the team. He reportedly fears that they may already have worsened Trump’s situation and could even face legal trouble of their own.
Kise doesn’t appear to be making much headway with the legal team — or Trump. His name wasn’t even on the Wednesday filing, in which Trump’s attorneys combatively questioned the Justice Department’s honesty and motives.
Kise remains part of the team and may continue to work on Trump’s other legal problems. But he’s likely to have a less public role in the Mar-a-Lago battle, according to the Post.
