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Kendall Coffey, a former federal prosecutor in process,” he said, adding that he believes Justice of-
Florida with the firm Coffey Burlington, said that ficials will “carefully examine any recommendations
while the department does not typically release in- from the IG, or other components that make recom-
formation about pending matters, officials could mendations.”
try and instill confidence in DOJ by releasing more Robbins said Congress could get involved by
information about these issues. He said that the passing a law requiring that subpoenas of sensitive
department has internal processes “that are highly subjects like reporters and lawmakers be disclosed
respected, but they take time to play out.” to entities outside the Justice Department, like Con-
“So in the short term a lot of members of the gressional committees.
public and public officials are suspecting that the He said the Justice Department could require
Department of Justice was somehow being pushed,” written approval from top officials like the attorney
he added. general or the deputy general. But Robbins said such
He said a minor step the department could take a proposal may not have prevented the subpoenas
is to explain its typical processes and procedures, issued under the Trump administration because of
and show whether the records were being directly the willingness of officials like Barr to act in Trump’s
sought or simply caught up in a subpoena exam- political interest.
ining another person. While reports indicated the He said it is “norms, traditions and fundamental
records of at least two Democrats on the House values,” rather than policies, that have prevented the
Intelligence Committee were directly targeted, it’s department from using its law enforcement author-
unclear whether that was the case for McGahn. ity for political ends in the post-Watergate era. ■
Coffey also noted there might be some reluctance
on the part of DOJ to make changes to its subpoena Jacqueline Thomsen, based in Washington, is a re-
processes. “But I think the significance of McGahn porter covering D.C. federal courts and the legal
and two members of Congress is such that it suggests side of politics. Contact her at [email protected]
a need to have a real examination of the internal and follow her on Twitter @jacq_thomsen.

Big Law Partners Embroiled in Trump-Era

DOJ Leaks Probe

By Bruce Love

awyers from large law firms such as Eversheds Committee on Intelligence, was questioned in a
Sutherland, King & Spalding and Jones Day have Justice Department investigation into leaks to the
Lbecome ensnared in the brewing controversy press around the time the department was inves-
over Justice Department subpoenas and Trump-era tigating unauthorized disclosures of information
leaks to the press. regarding the inquiry into U.S. election tamper-
The controversy was sparked by recent news re- ing by Russia, according to a New York Times
ports outlining a DOJ investigation of Democratic report.
lawmakers at the behest of the Trump adminis- Bahar is co-lead of Eversheds’ global cybersecu-
tration in a bid to stamp out leaks over sensitive rity and data privacy practice. He moved to the D.C.
material. offices of the firm in June 2017, after five years as the
Michael Bahar, former general counsel of the House committee’s lawyer.
U.S. House of Representatives Permanent Select ■ Continued on PAGE 18

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