Trump Lawyer Jim Trusty Bails on His CNN Lawsuit, Citing ‘Irreconcilable Differences’

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

A lawyer for former President Donald Trump quit his defamation lawsuit against CNN, according to a filing first reported by Politico.

Jim Trusty, a Trump lawyer who just last week quit Trump’s legal team in the Mar-a-Lago documents case, requested he be allowed to quit the CNN case as well in a letter to the judge presiding over it.

“Mr. Trusty’s withdrawal is based upon irreconcilable differences between Counsel and Plaintiff and Counsel can no longer effectively and properly represent Plaintiff,” Trusty wrote.

Trump filed his quixotic defamation suit against CNN last year, accusing the network of a “campaign of dissuasion in the form of libel and slander” and seeking $475 million in damages.

CNN responded at the time with a statement insisting that Trump did not identify “a single false or defamatory statement in your letter.” The network is seeking a quick dismissal of the case.

The departure of Trusty from Trump’s team in the case is the latest legal headache for the former president, who has struggled to recruit representation in the many cases he faces, including the federal criminal indictment he was arraigned for in a Miami courtroom this week.

Soon after his indictment on 37 counts in that case, Trusty and colleague John Rowley abruptly resigned. In the days since, Trump has reportedly scrambled to assemble a team to represent him in the historic case.

The departure of Trusty from the CNN case does not mean its end. Trusty said in his letter to the judge that Trump will continue to be represented by Lindsey Halligan.

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