Is Tom Barrack making his big move?
Earlier this week Palmer Report pointed out that the Senate had just confirmed President Biden’s U.S. Attorney nominees for the SDNY in Manhattan and the EDNY in Brooklyn. We flagged it as being a big deal, because these two offices have been waiting awhile now for their new bosses to be confirmed. If either office has been holding off on major decisions so the new boss could make the call, then we’re about to see some action.
Specifically we said this: “The EDNY indicted and arrested Trump money man Tom Barrack earlier this year but hasn’t made any visible moves in Trump’s direction since; we’ll see if the arrival of a new boss will spur the EDNY to cut a deal with Barrack or something along those lines.”
Now the Court Listener database appears to show that Tom Barrack parted ways with two of his high powered criminal defense attorneys just two days after the new U.S. Attorney for the EDNY was confirmed. This could be coincidence. But Barrack has had these attorneys in place for months, and now he’s suddenly ditching them just 48 hours after a new U.S. Attorney began overseeing his case?
Here’s what to watch for next. Some attorneys specialize in trying to get their client acquitted at trial, while other attorneys specialize in negotiating plea deals. So if Barrack turns around and hires new attorneys who are known for plea deals, it’ll be a strong sign that he’s looking to flip now that a new U.S. Attorney is in place to negotiate with. To get any real leniency, Barrack would presumably have to flip on Donald Trump.
