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For Jay Sekulow, New Trump Lawyer, Public Stumble Is Out of Character For Jay Sekulow, New Trump Lawyer, Public Stumble Is Out of Character
(about 2 hours later)
WASHINGTON — It was supposed to be a simple message for a man known as an articulate advocate.WASHINGTON — It was supposed to be a simple message for a man known as an articulate advocate.
When Jay Sekulow made the rounds of political television shows on Sunday, he had two basic talking points: First, that Mr. Trump’s tweet on Friday that “I am under investigation” was just riffing on news reports and that prosecutors have not told him he is under investigation. And second, that Mr. Trump’s firing of the F.B.I. director last month could not be obstruction of justice because presidents have constitutional authority to fire subordinates. When Jay Sekulow made the rounds of political television shows on Sunday, he had two basic talking points: first, that President Trump’s tweet on Friday that “I am under investigation” was just riffing on news reports, and that prosecutors had not told him he was under investigation. And second, that Mr. Trump’s firing of the F.B.I. director last month could not be obstruction of justice because presidents have constitutional authority to fire subordinates.
But in trying to convey those points clearly, Mr. Sekulow, a prominent First Amendment advocate whom President Trump recently hired to join his outside legal team, stumbled on “Fox News Sunday.” Chris Wallace, the host, pointedly noted that Mr. Sekulow himself, in laying out his arguments, ended up twice stating that Mr. Trump was under investigation. But in trying to convey those points clearly, Mr. Sekulow, a prominent First Amendment advocate whom Mr. Trump recently hired to join his outside legal team, stumbled on “Fox News Sunday.” Chris Wallace, the host, noted pointedly that Mr. Sekulow himself, in laying out his arguments, ended up twice stating that Mr. Trump was under investigation.
“Sir, you just said two times that he’s being investigated,” Mr. Wallace pointed out over Mr. Sekulow’s sputtering protests that he did not say that. The video showed he indeed had, and a clip of it went viral on social media. “Sir, you just said two times that he’s being investigated,” Mr. Wallace pointed out over Mr. Sekulow’s sputtering protests that he had not said that. The video showed he indeed had, and a clip of it went viral on social media.
For Mr. Sekulow, 61, the rough performance was an anomaly. He built his reputation as a constitutional lawyer for a number of evangelical Christian groups successfully advancing First Amendment arguments before the Supreme Court to lower the wall between church and state. He has been a forceful advocate in the political arena as well, said Barry Lynn, the head of the liberal Americans United for Separation of Church and State. For Mr. Sekulow, 61, the rough performance was an anomaly. He built his reputation as a constitutional lawyer for a number of evangelical Christian groups, successfully advancing First Amendment arguments before the Supreme Court to lower the wall between church and state. He has been a forceful advocate in the political arena as well, said Barry Lynn, the head of the liberal Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
“Jay is extraordinarily good at explaining his side of things in the media,” Mr. Lynn said. “We’ve had hundreds of debates on television, on radio and on college campuses, and he is an extremely articulate person — the toughest adversary I’ve had in those circumstances, ever.”“Jay is extraordinarily good at explaining his side of things in the media,” Mr. Lynn said. “We’ve had hundreds of debates on television, on radio and on college campuses, and he is an extremely articulate person — the toughest adversary I’ve had in those circumstances, ever.”
A spokesman for Mr. Sekulow at the American Center for Law and Justice, a Christian-based nonprofit legal advocacy group based at the televangelist Pat Robertson’s Regent University, declined to comment. Mr. Sekulow said he would not cooperate with reporting for profiles about himself. A spokesman for Mr. Sekulow at the American Center for Law and Justice, a Christian-based nonprofit legal advocacy group at the televangelist Pat Robertson’s Regent University, declined to comment. Mr. Sekulow said he would not cooperate with reporting for profiles about himself.
He is now deeply involved in defending Mr. Trump. On June 9 — the day after Mr. Comey’s testimony before the Senate — Mr. Sekulow announced to listeners of his nationally syndicated radio show, “Jay Sekulow Live!,” that he had accepted Mr. Trump’s invitation to join his legal team under the lead lawyer, Marc E. Kasowitz, saying it was an opportunity to defend against “an attack on the presidency.” He is now deeply involved in defending Mr. Trump. On June 9 — the day after the fired F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, testified before the Senate — Mr. Sekulow announced to listeners of his nationally syndicated radio show, “Jay Sekulow Live,” that he had accepted Mr. Trump’s invitation to join his legal team under the lead lawyer, Marc E. Kasowitz, saying it was an opportunity to defend against “an attack on the presidency.”
“If the president of the United States asks you for legal advice and you’re a lawyer and you’re serving your country and the Constitution, you do it,” Mr. Sekulow told his listeners. “If the president of the United States asks you for legal advice, and you’re a lawyer, and you’re serving your country and the Constitution, you do it,” Mr. Sekulow told his listeners.
As a member of the legal team, Mr. Sekulow is primarily expected to serve as its public voice, defending the president in television appearances. While he is known as a constitutional lawyer and argued a dozen times before the Supreme Court, his last such case was nine years ago, and more recently he has been better known as a pundit. As a member of the legal team, Mr. Sekulow is primarily expected to serve as its public voice, defending the president in television appearances. While he is known as a constitutional lawyer and has argued a dozen times before the Supreme Court, his last such case was nine years ago, and more recently, he has been better known as a pundit.
Mr. Sekulow was born to a Reform Jewish family in Brooklyn and raised on Long Island, according to a first-person account he posted on the website jewsforjesus.org. When he was a teenager, his family moved to Atlanta, where he attended the Atlanta Baptist College because it was a short distance from his house. (It is now known as the Atlanta campus of Mercer University.) As a student there, he wrote, he became convinced that Jesus was the savior predicted by Hebrew prophets. Mr. Sekulow was born to a Reform Jewish family in Brooklyn and raised on Long Island, according to a first-person account he posted on the website jewsforjesus.org. When he was a teenager, his family moved to Atlanta, where he attended Atlanta Baptist College because it was a short distance from his house. (It is now known as the Atlanta campus of Mercer University.) As a student there, he wrote, he became convinced that Jesus was the savior predicted by Hebrew prophets.
“I wasn’t concerned about how my parents would respond,” he wrote. “It didn’t enter my mind that they might be upset. After all, Jesus was a Jew. I knew that much. I didn’t see what the big deal would be about my believing he was the Jewish Messiah.”“I wasn’t concerned about how my parents would respond,” he wrote. “It didn’t enter my mind that they might be upset. After all, Jesus was a Jew. I knew that much. I didn’t see what the big deal would be about my believing he was the Jewish Messiah.”
His parents, he wrote, accepted his decision. Mr. Sekulow went on to graduate from Mercer’s law school, worked briefly as a tax prosecutor for the Internal Revenue Service, and then helped found a real estate development law firm in Atlanta that flourished, then collapsed.His parents, he wrote, accepted his decision. Mr. Sekulow went on to graduate from Mercer’s law school, worked briefly as a tax prosecutor for the Internal Revenue Service, and then helped found a real estate development law firm in Atlanta that flourished, then collapsed.
A 1991 profile in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said his work had “specialized in putting together tax shelters for wealthy investors and financing renovations of historic properties downtown.” But after a major project collapsed in 1986, he and his associates were sued for fraud and securities violations, and declared bankruptcy.A 1991 profile in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said his work had “specialized in putting together tax shelters for wealthy investors and financing renovations of historic properties downtown.” But after a major project collapsed in 1986, he and his associates were sued for fraud and securities violations, and declared bankruptcy.
That same year, Mr. Sekulow transformed his career. He became the general counsel for Jews for Jesus, the group of believers with Jewish lineage who adhere to evangelical Christian theology. The next year he argued before the Supreme Court in defense of their First Amendment right to hand out pamphlets in the Los Angeles International Airport, winning a 9-to-0 ruling. That same year, Mr. Sekulow transformed his career. He became the general counsel for Jews for Jesus, the group of believers with Jewish lineage who adhere to evangelical Christian theology. The next year, he argued before the Supreme Court in defense of their First Amendment right to hand out pamphlets in Los Angeles International Airport, winning a 9-to-0 ruling.
Taking inspiration from that success, he founded a nonprofit group, Christian Advocates Serving Evangelicals, and later became lead counsel for Mr. Robertson’s American Center for Law and Justice, which is styled as a conservative counterweight to the liberal American Civil Liberties Union. Taking inspiration from that success, he founded a nonprofit group, Christian Advocates Serving Evangelism, and later became lead counsel for Mr. Robertson’s American Center for Law and Justice, which is styled as a conservative counterweight to the liberal American Civil Liberties Union.
From those two charitable bases, he has taken a series of culture-war cases with religious overtones, from defending Operation Rescue protesters seeking to block abortion clinics in Wichita, Kan., to helping challenge a proposed Muslim community center and mosque near the World Trade Center site. At the same time, he has broadened his role as a cable news commentator and talk radio host.From those two charitable bases, he has taken a series of culture-war cases with religious overtones, from defending Operation Rescue protesters seeking to block abortion clinics in Wichita, Kan., to helping challenge a proposed Muslim community center and mosque near the World Trade Center site. At the same time, he has broadened his role as a cable news commentator and talk radio host.
“He is something of a polymath,” said Russell Moore, the president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. In his spare time, Mr. Sekulow plays drums and guitar for a rock band, named after himself, that plays covers of Christian and patriotic songs.“He is something of a polymath,” said Russell Moore, the president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. In his spare time, Mr. Sekulow plays drums and guitar for a rock band, named after himself, that plays covers of Christian and patriotic songs.
He has also drawn criticism for profiteering: A 2011 investigation by The Tennessean newspaper found that since 1998, the two charities had paid more than $33 million to members of his family and businesses they owned or partly owned. He has also drawn criticism for profiteering: A 2011 investigation by The Tennessean newspaper found that since 1998, the two charities had paid more than $33 million to members of Mr. Sekulow’s family and businesses they owned or partly owned.
Mr. Sekulow has frequently defended Mr. Trump on television and radio throughout the spring. Now, he is representing Mr. Trump directly — a challenge compounded by the president’s continued use of Twitter.Mr. Sekulow has frequently defended Mr. Trump on television and radio throughout the spring. Now, he is representing Mr. Trump directly — a challenge compounded by the president’s continued use of Twitter.
In the Sunday appearance, Mr. Wallace also pointed out that an obstruction inquiry may be focusing on actions other than the firing of James B. Comey — like the former F.B.I. director’s claim that Mr. Trump improperly pushed him to drop an investigation into his former national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn. And when Mr. Sekulow insisted that Mr. Trump was not under investigation, Mr. Wallace pointed out that Mr. Sekulow had no way of knowing that. Mr. Sekulow conceded the point. In the Sunday appearance, Mr. Wallace also pointed out that an obstruction inquiry might be focusing on actions other than the firing of Mr. Comey, like his claim that Mr. Trump had improperly pushed him to drop an investigation into the president’s former national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn. And when Mr. Sekulow insisted that Mr. Trump was not under investigation, Mr. Wallace pointed out that Mr. Sekulow had no way of knowing that. Mr. Sekulow conceded the point.
On Monday morning, Mr. Sekulow appeared on the Fox News talk show “Fox & Friends” to reiterate his points. It was overshadowed by an oddity: Just before he went on, Mr. Trump directed his Twitter followers to tune in — but afterward, he deleted the posting without explanation.On Monday morning, Mr. Sekulow appeared on the Fox News talk show “Fox & Friends” to reiterate his points. It was overshadowed by an oddity: Just before he went on, Mr. Trump directed his Twitter followers to tune in — but afterward, he deleted the posting without explanation.
During that appearance, the “Fox & Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade pointed out that Mr. Trump’s postings on Twitter seemed to be making Mr. Sekulow’s job harder. But Mr. Sekulow portrayed Mr. Trump’s use of social media as revolutionary.During that appearance, the “Fox & Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade pointed out that Mr. Trump’s postings on Twitter seemed to be making Mr. Sekulow’s job harder. But Mr. Sekulow portrayed Mr. Trump’s use of social media as revolutionary.
“I don’t tell him what to write or not write,” Mr. Sekulow said. “I’m his lawyer.”“I don’t tell him what to write or not write,” Mr. Sekulow said. “I’m his lawyer.”