CNN
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President Donald Trump has agreed to rescind an executive order that suspended security clearances for lawyers and staff at the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, according to a statement he posted to Truth Social on Thursday.
The New York-based firm has agreed to dedicate the equivalent of $40 million in pro bono legal services over the course of Trump’s term “to support the Administration’s initiatives,” the statement said. The firm has also agreed to audit its employment practices and has pledged to not “adopt, use, or pursue” diversity, equity and inclusion policies.
The statement notes that Trump agreed to the deal following a meeting with the firm’s chairman Brad Karp, “during which Mr. Karp acknowledged the wrongdoing of former Paul, Weiss partner, Mark Pomerantz, the grave dangers of Weaponization, and the vital need to restore our System of Justice.”
It was not immediately clear what wrongdoing the statement referred to. Paul Weiss’ leadership and a firm spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to CNN’s requests for comment.
Karp met with Trump to try to resolve the issue after Trump’s executive order, a person familiar with the meeting told CNN.
The firm had been bracing for last Friday’s executive order after word leaked that the White House had circulated a list of as many as 14 firms that could be targeted, as Trump had done with Covington and Perkins Coie, two people familiar with the discussions said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNN’s Evan Perez and Katelyn Polantz contributed to this story.
