ProPublica late Tuesday introduced a new wrinkle to the legal and political controversies surrounding President Donald Trump: Does the president s personal lawyer have a history of excessive drinking that could undermine his ability to represent his client effectively?
The ProPublica story, by Justin Elliott and Jesse Eisinger, reports that Marc Kasowitz sought treatment for alcohol abuse at a rehabilitation facility in Florida almost two years ago. It also describes an account of Kasowitz "dirty dancing" with a Palm West Side restaurant hostess at the firm's holiday party in 2013, and receiving two black eyes at a restaurant the same night the woman assaulted another woman.
Besides the political drama amid probes into the Trump campaign s Russia ties, the report may have special resonance in the legal industry. Other powerful lawyers have struggled publicly with alcohol or drug use, and substance abuse is considered rampant at all levels of the profession often described along with suicide and depression as an epidemic among attorneys.
"'Kasowitz Benson had a hard-drinking culture that its leaders epitomized," the ProPublica report asserts. "'It s like a time warp,' said one former employee, citing the firm s 'macho, scotch-drinking, fist-fighting' ethos. Multiple former attorneys said they saw Kasowitz under the influence at the office, an accusation Kasowitz denies."
The story cites Hogan Lovells partner Robert Bennett and other experts stating that a person with a recent history of alcohol abuse and evidence of poor judgment may not be able to get a security clearance if he sought one. A New York Times story published around the same time reported that President Donald Trump has grown frustrated with Kasowitz, and that the lawyer may resign.
A Kasowitz spokesman told ProPublica that Kasowitz doesn t need a security clearance to represent the president but would apply for clearance if necessary. He also said Kasowitz is able to drink in moderation without problems.
Neither Kasowitz nor his representatives immediately responded early Wednesday to requests for comment on the ProPublica report.
Alcohol abuse disproportionately affects lawyers. In a 2016 study, 36 percent of practicing attorneys said they drank excessively, and one-fifth of lawyers disclosed they had an alcohol abuse problem, according to a Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation study. The problem has been acknowledged by everyone from self-help authors and memoirists who've written about the journey from Big Law through recovery, to the District of Columbia Bar, which recently profiled lawyers who struggled with addiction.