In a move to defend legal representation for Donald Trump, America First Legal has filed a bar complaint against Michael Teter, director of The 65 Project, alleging misconduct in his efforts to discourage attorneys from representing Trump in the 2024 election.

The complaint, filed in Utah where Teter is licensed, accuses him of attempting to “punish” attorneys associated with Trump by filing a series of ethics complaints intended to create a “culture of deterrence.”

Teter’s organization, The 65 Project, has been running ads in swing states and legal publications, warning lawyers that working with Trump could endanger their careers.

Sure would be a shame if anything happened to your legal career if you represented Trump …

Ads 65 Project is running in swing state law reviews and online. pic.twitter.com/TKDqNs92tO

— Victoria Taft, The Adult in the Room, FITF Squad (@VictoriaTaft) November 3, 2024

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America First Legal’s complaint contends that Teter is misusing the attorney grievance process to dissuade lawyers from participating in the Trump campaign, thereby hindering Trump’s right to legal counsel.

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According to America First Legal, these actions have intensified as the 2024 election nears, raising concerns about preserving a fair legal process in highly charged political cases.

A key figure in this legal dispute, attorney Stefan Passantino, who represented former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson during the January 6 hearings, is central to America First Legal’s complaint.

The complaint states that Teter filed an ethics complaint against Passantino without any firsthand knowledge of wrongdoing, relying instead on hearsay from news sources and committee transcripts.

America First Legal argues that Teter’s complaint lacks merit and relies on vague accusations, aiming instead to harm Passantino’s career.

Teter, who has ties to various left-leaning legal efforts, has a history of pursuing cases linked to high-profile Democratic interests, including the Dominion lawsuit against Fox News and representation of Ray Epps in a defamation case.

According to the complaint, Teter’s campaign against Trump’s legal team “runs counter to the letter and spirit of the law governing the activities of lawyers,” and America First Legal is calling for disciplinary action against him.

In response, America First Legal highlighted Teter’s alleged bias, noting that he has filed nearly 100 ethics complaints targeting attorneys connected to Trump, including well-known names such as Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, and Jenna Ellis.

According to the complaint, many of these complaints used similar language and accusations without specific evidence against the individual attorneys, leading to what America First describes as a “death-by-a-thousand-cuts” strategy intended to damage their professional reputations.

The 65 Project launched an ad campaign in September targeting attorneys willing to represent Trump.

According to the New York Times, these ads have been strategically placed in law journals and online platforms in swing states, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

The campaign warns of potential professional consequences for attorneys who associate themselves with Trump’s legal defense, which America First Legal argues is a direct attack on the First Amendment rights of legal practitioners.

The backlash to Teter’s efforts is growing, with some legal commentators warning that The 65 Project’s tactics could backfire by drawing attention to its perceived suppression of legal representation.

Soros funded and Marc Elias aligned group called The 65 Project is running ads in every swing state right now saying that if any attorney represents Donald Trump in regards to election integrity matters, they are going to make sure they get their law licenses taken away.

That is… pic.twitter.com/bUQdChBB0u

— Insurrection Barbie (@DefiyantlyFree) November 2, 2024

America First Legal’s bar complaint argues that The 65 Project’s actions are a blatant attempt to deter attorneys from providing legal services to Trump, noting that such efforts undermine the ethical standards of the legal profession.

America First’s statement asserted that Teter’s actions have harmed attorneys simply for defending a politically controversial client. “Seeking the personal destruction and financial ruin of another lawyer – simply because of the client he represented or the cause he took up – runs counter to… the letter and spirit of the law governing the activities of lawyers,” the statement reads.

The legal dispute underscores the deep political divide in the legal community over attorneys representing high-profile clients in controversial cases.