Someone needs to take a long, hard look into the nine capitulating firms that pledged nearly $1 billion in legal services to the Trump administration, many of which seem to be implicated in the Epstein files.
Paul Weiss, a P,1 firm, was the first firm to capitulate to the Administration and set that precedent. Its longtime chair, Brad Karp, appears hundreds of times in the files. Karp appears to have advised Epstein on arguments related to his plea deal and getting a woman deported. Though Paul Weiss as a firm stated that Karp never represented Epstein and "attended two group dinners in New York City and had a small number of social interactions by email," a cursory review of the files shows more substantial interactions. For instance, Karp confirmed that he would visit Epstein, apparently at his NY home. Another Paul Weiss partner, Mitchell Webber, emailed Epstein regarding federal sex trafficking laws involving minors. Webber sent that email when he was an assistant to Alan Dershowitz. As a P,1 firm, Paul Weiss continues to keep on both Karp and Webber.
Simpson Thacher is another capitulating firm. Meredith Karp, Brad Karp's daughter, is a partner there. Meredith Karp also appears in the Epstein files as an invitee to Epstein's screening of a Woody Allen film in 2014 - years after Epstein pled guilty. Brad Karp and his son David were also on the attendee list.
Latham & Watkins, another capitulating firm, was home to Kathy Ruemmler who is all over the Epstein files and appears to have had a very close, personal relationship with Epstein. Ruemmler led Latham's white collar group.
Kirkland & Ellis also capitulated and appears to have many ties to Epstein, though more arguably in a legal representation context. Former Kirkland litigator and Trump appointee Alexander Acosta signed off on Epstein's "sweetheart" plea deal. Ken Starr (the one who investigated Bill Clinton alongside Brett Kavanaugh) defended Epstein and referred to him as his "friend" and "brother." In one Starr submission to the DOJ, Starr describes, on Kirkland letterhead, that "[t]he majority of the massages were just that—massages and nothing else. Mr. Epstein would routinely be on the telephone conducting business while he received his massage. At times, the masseuses would be topless, and some sexual activity might occur, primarily self-masturbation on the part of Mr. Epstein." EFTA01080597-98. Though Starr added that "[t]he vast majority of the masseuses were in fact 18 or over[.]" Id. Current partner Jay Lefkowitz also helped with Epstein's plea, but also appeared to have had a personal relationship. Lefkowitz invited Epstein to his son's bar mitzvah and asked to borrow Epstein's helicopter. Lefkowitz also assisted Columbia University in its "settlement" with the Trump administration.
If we know this from what was written down, god knows what was said and done. For these firms, it's looking less like capitulation and more like collaboration.