Bob Schwartz

Ever wonder what kind of a lawyer Trump would be—assuming he could get into law school, graduate and pass the bar exam (questionable)? Today he tweeted about why any lawyer would be thrilled to join his dwindling legal team:

New York Times:

Earlier on Sunday, Mr. Trump took to Twitter from his Florida resort to insist that he faced no problems finding lawyers to represent him in the Russia investigation.

“Fame & fortune will never be turned down by a lawyer, though some are conflicted,” Mr. Trump said in a tweet.

That is, except for conflicts, any lawyer will come if you dangle fame and fortune in front of them. Particularly if Trump beckons.

It is true that plenty of lawyers are interested in clients and cases that promise fame and fortune. No one should mistake lawyers for saints.

On the other hand, many more also have a passing interest in justice and professional responsibility, in addition to the other rewards. That is something that never crosses Trump’s mind. In fact, Trump has described exactly the sort of lawyer he would be—again, if that were possible.

A couple of other things Trump misses, things that explain why he is unable to add many lawyers of quality and stature at this point.

First, Trump is accustomed to people around him putting up with anything just for the privilege of working for him. He would be astonished to learn that lawyers, even the most ambitious ones, have a limit to what they will put up with.

Second, Trump still does not recognize the difference between fame and notoriety—never has, never will. Lawyers may have no problem being famous. Notorious? Not so much.