Free Republic

Former President Donald Trump reportedly rejected suggestions from his attorneys to arrange a settlement with the Justice Department to avoid federal charges and instead, he listened to the advice of Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton, a conservative legal activist, and others who said he could legally keep the classified documents and should fight government prosecutors. Trump attorney Christopher Kise wanted to see last fall if he could quietly approach the Justice Department to negotiate a settlement with the hopes that Attorney General Merrick Garland and the agency would want to avoid bringing charges against the former president, The Washington Post...

Former President Donald Trump stubbornly rejected his legal team’s efforts last year to settle the classified documents case — and prevent him from being indicted by a federal grand jury, according to a bombshell report. Christopher Kise, one of Trump’s attorneys in the fall of 2022, wanted to quietly approach the Justice Department to negotiate a deal with Attorney General Merrick Garland, the Washington Post reported, citing seven insiders. Kise told others he hoped his overture would “take the temperature down” by promising a professional approach and the return of all the materials from the former president’s Mar-a-Lago estate. But...

President Donald Trump has hired a top Florida lawyer to lead his defense in the FBI raid case, a person familiar with the decision told The Post Tuesday. Chris Kise, a former solicitor general in the state, is joining Trump’s legal team amid claims the 45th president was struggling to recruit top-notch attorneys in the wake of the FBI’s Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago. Kise, a veteran GOP lawyer, starts immediately and will represent Trump at the next hearing in the Southern District of Florida on Thursday. Until recently, the Tallahassee attorney had been a partner at the Foley &...