Ex-Trump Lawyer Lobbies for Firms Navigating White House Attacks (1)

Former Trump White House lawyer Stefan Passantino in his new act as a lobbyist is advising two Wall Street law firms looking to avoid the president’s ire.

Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom and Davis Polk & Wardwell hired Miller Strategies in March, shortly after Passantino joined the lobbying shop, according to federal records. Jeff Miller, the Trump fundraiser whose business spiked this year, and Passantino are advising the two firms on “government relations” issues, the filings show.

Passantino served as White House ethics counsel in President Donald Trump’s first term. He came under fire during hearings by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack at the US Capitol.

He left his role at Washington firm Michael Best & Friedrich in December 2022, after being accused of advising White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson to mislead lawmakers. Passantino insisted Hutchinson was “truthful and cooperative” with the committee. He later sued unsuccessfully over what he called a conspiracy to push the “false narrative” that he told Hutchinson to lie.

Representatives for Skadden and Davis Polk did not immediately respond to comment requests. Passantino and Miller Strategies also didn’t respond to comment requests.

Skadden and eight other corporate law firms have committed $940 million in legal services in a series of deals with Trump. The group sought to avoid punitive executive orders like those targeting other firms over ties to lawyers involved in investigations and cases against the president. The firms pledged to take up a range of issues, including supporting military veterans and law enforcement officers, as well as “ensuring fairness” in the justice system.

Davis Polk so far has steered clear of being a Trump target. The firm scrubbed website references to its lawyers’ work on special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. It is helping Trump Media & Technology Group Corp., operator of Trump’s Truth Social, and Crypto.com launch a series of exchange-traded funds later this year in a deal announced on April 22.

Jeffrey Miller is also representing Crypto.com, which paid Miller Strategies $150,000 for its lobbying work during the first quarter, according to disclosures.

Passantino’s new role appears to be his first as a federal lobbyist. He continues to work at Elections LLC, the political law shop he founded with Trump campaign adviser Justin Clark, which has political action committees affiliated with the president.

Miller, a close ally and friend of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, opened his Republican-heavy lobbying operation in 2017. Miller Strategies has advised Apple Inc. Oracle America Inc., the PGA Tour, and Delta Air Lines Inc., among other clients.

Passantino is in an ongoing court fight with Andrew Weissmann, a key investigator in the Mueller probe who Trump often name checks in his criticism of lawyers and firms. Weissmann defamed Passantino by claiming that he coached Hutchinson to lie, according to a complaint filed in federal court in Washington.

Trump issued a March executive order targeting Jenner & Block over its ties to Weissmann, a former partner at the firm. Jenner won a court order temporarily blocking the order.

Two other large firms that reached deals with Trump—Kirkland & Ellis and Simpson Thacher—enlisted another Washington lobbying outfit with strong ties to the White House. They hired Ballard Partners, which is led by Trump donor Brian Ballard. The firm previously employed Attorney General Pam Bondi.