The hard-charging New York lawyer President Trump chose to represent him in the Russia investigation has prominent clients with ties to the Kremlin, a striking pick for a president trying to escape the persistent cloud that has trailed his administration.
Marc E. Kasowitzs clients include Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch who is close to President Vladimir Putin and has done business with Trumps former campaign manager. Kasowitz also represents Sberbank, Russias largest state-owned bank, U.S. court records show.
Kasowitz has represented one of Deripaskas companies for years in a civil lawsuit in New York and was scheduled to argue on the companys behalf May 25, two days after news broke that Trump had hired him, court records show. A different lawyer in Kasowitzs firm showed up in court instead, avoiding a scenario that would have highlighted Kasowitzs extensive work for high-profile Russian clients.