Elias Law Group Is Named in a Presidential Memorandum but Refuses to Negotiate

A presidential memorandum titled 'Preventing Abuses of the Legal System and the Federal Court' directed the Attorney General to seek sanctions against lawyers and firms engaged in what it called frivolous litigation against the United States, and singled out Elias Law Group over work connected to the Steele dossier. Firm chair Marc Elias said publicly that the firm would not negotiate with the administration over its choice of clients.

The memorandum broadened the campaign from named firms to a general instruction aimed at lawyers who bring cases against the government, which bar associations argued would chill representation of clients adverse to the administration. Elias Law Group is among the most prominent Democratic election-law practices, making it a test of whether the threat would be carried out against a firm that declined to accommodate it.

No executive order specifically targeting Elias Law Group has been issued and the firm has continued to operate and litigate against the administration.