Less than 24 hours after the White House signaled former Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., would be joining the Trump legal team, the president himself told Newsmax on Thursday afternoon Gowdy would have to wait until January to become his lawyer because of federal lobbying rules.
In response to a question from us about Gowdy becoming his chief attorney, Trump replied before boarding the Marine One helicopter that the former congressman has "a problem . . . he can't start for another couple of months because of lobbying rules and regulations."
He offered no details, however, and simply said "you'll have to ask about that."
When we asked if Rudy Giuliani will remain his top attorney, Trump shot back: "I haven't spoken to him. I haven't spoken."
Since leaving Congress in 2018, Gowdy has joined the firm Nelson, Mullins, Riley and Scarborough. But it is unclear what kind of law he practices and just who — if anyone — he has lobbied for.
Earlier Thursday morning, Newsmax reported Gowdy would soon become the president's top attorney and Giuliani would be shunted to the back of "Team Trump."
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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