WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. _ President Donald Trump's team of lawyers for the Russia investigation continued to shrink Sunday when it was confirmed that Joseph diGenova, a former U.S. attorney and frequent pro-Trump television pundit, and his wife, Victoria Toensing, would not represent the president as expected.
Jay Sekulow, another of Trump's lawyers, announced last week that diGenova was being hired. But diGenova and Toensing, who run their own law firm, have represented other people involved in the investigation, posing potential conflicts of interest. Sekulow said Sunday that they wouldn't be working on the case for Trump.
The turmoil leaves Trump shorthanded, and without a designated lead lawyer as the Russia investigation enters a crucial phase. As prosecutors seek to meet with Trump in what could be a high-stakes encounter, they also reportedly issued a subpoena seeking records from the Trump Organization.
"The President is disappointed that conflicts prevent Joe diGenova and Victoria Toensing from joining the President's Special Counsel legal team," Sekulow said in a text message. "However, those conflicts do not prevent them from assisting the President in other legal matters."
In a statement, diGenova and Toensing said: "We thank the president for his confidence in us and we look forward to working with him on other matters." DiGenova declined to comment further.
The announcement after John Dowd, a white-collar defense attorney, stepped down from Trump's team. Dowd had been handling negotiations with the office of special counsel Robert Mueller over a potential interview with the president.
Sekulow, who is best known as an advocate for conservative religious cases, is the president's only other personal lawyer. Ty Cobb represents the White House in dealings with the special counsel's office.
On Sunday morning, Trump denied in a series of Twitter posts that he's having trouble finding lawyers.
"Many lawyers and top law firms want to represent me in the Russia case ... don't believe the Fake News narrative that it is hard to find a lawyer who wants to take this on. Fame & fortune will NEVER be turned down by a lawyer, though some are conflicted," Trump wrote from Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate.
Sekulow did not specify what conflicts of interest were keeping diGenova and Toensing from working for the president.
However, Toensing has represented other people involved in the investigation, including Sam Clovis, a former Trump campaign official, and Mark Corrallo, who was a spokesman for Trump's legal team last year.
Corrallo said he signed a waiver on Monday when the firm started talking about working for Trump. "There were no conflicts as I could see them," he said in an interview Friday.
The moves among Trump's lawyers parallel the shakeup that has been going on in the top ranks of his administration. Six major figures, including his secretary of state, national security adviser and chief economic adviser have been pushed out or announced their resignations in the past three weeks.
