Kamala Harris Calls Out CEOs For Not Fighting Against Donald Trump. There’s Just One Glaring Issue With That…
Kamala Harris is hawking her new book, 107 Days, and so, she sat down with Rachel Maddow on MSNBC last night. Harris had plenty to say about Donald Trump and how he’s a “tyrant,” but Trump wasn’t the only figure that drew Harris’s fire.
Harris turned her attention to private companies for not holding the line vis-à-vis Trump. “I’ve worked closely with the private sector over many years. And I always believed that if push came to shove, those titans of industry would be guardrails for our democracy, for the importance of sustaining democratic institutions. And one by one by one, they have been silent. They have been, you know, yes, I use the word feckless,” Harris said.
Harris also pointed out that this lack of courage is motivated by the bottom line. “Perhaps it’s because they want a merger approved or they want to avoid an investigation. But at some point they’ve got to stand up for the sake of the people who rely on all of these institutions — to have integrity and to, at some point, be the guardrails against a tyrant who’s using the federal government to execute his whim and fancy because of a fragile ego.”
Bold words. But…
I just have one question: Does she know where her husband works?
Listen, I’m sure the last year or so has been hella crazy for Harris and maybe she just isn’t tracking where her husband is currently practicing law. If she *does* know, this whole interview is giving big do as I say, not as my husband does energy.
Because for those who don’t know and/or care, after his stint as Second Gentleman, Doug Emhoff chose to return to Biglaw and is currently a partner at Willkie Farr. You know, one of the nine “feckless” Biglaw firms that bent a knee to Donald Trump — and promised $940 million in pro bono payola — to avoid the unconstitutional Executive Orders targeting major law firms that pissed off Donald Trump.
So yes, quite like the “titans of industry” that are supposed to be “guardrails for our democracy” the law firm where Emhoff is a partner did the Exact. Same. Thing. It’s actually worse, because Willkie is giving Donald Trump $100 million is free legal services for Trump-approved causes and clients.
This is not as simple as holding a woman accountable for what her husband does, as some Harris apologists might opine. There is a direct financial benefit that Kamala Harris’s household receives when Willkie Farr does well — and that firm sold out the rule of law in order to ensure that their bottom line didn’t take a hit.
And I don’t think Harris’s comments pass the blush test just because Emhoff was publicly critical of Willkie’s deal with Trump. Because HE SILL WORKS THERE! As a partner, no less! Associates (and of course, partners too) are bailing from Willkie to get the stink of capitulation off their career. Emhoff — both as an experienced partner and as a household name — has vastly more opportunities than junior attorneys yet he chooses to stay at Willkie. And that says a lot more about who is — and who is not — actually willing to fight for democracy than the MSNBC clip.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @[email protected].
