On with Kara Swisher Defending Trump’s ‘Enemies’ with Attorney Abbe Lowell
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Feb 9, 2026 Abbe Lowell, a longtime Washington defense attorney who left big firm life to defend those targeted by the Trump administration. He discusses why firms avoid politically risky cases. He explains categories of targeted people, security clearance revocations, strategic litigation to block executive overreach, and how judges and institutions are responding.
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Why Big Firms Bow Out
- Big law firms prioritize corporate clients and revenue, which makes them avoid politically risky cases.
- That business-first shift reduced firms' willingness to defend targets of government overreach.
Rapid Leap To Independent Practice
- Abbe Lowell left Winston & Strawn over a weekend to start his own practice focused on defending people targeted by the Trump administration.
- He scrambled to incorporate, get malpractice insurance, borrow office space, and write a major letter within 72 hours.
Don Lemon's Public Arrest
- Don Lemon was publicly arrested in his Los Angeles hotel late at night while returning from the Grammys after Minneapolis protests.
- Lowell says the arrest was meant as a spectacle and deliberately timed so Lemon spent a night in jail.
