U.S. law firm Brownstein Hyatt quits RNC’s Jan. 6 subpoena lawsuit

Pro-Trump protesters storm into the U.S. Capitol throughout clashes with police, during a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by the U.S. Congress, in Washington, U.S, January 6, 2021. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photograph

(Reuters) – The U.S. lobbying heavyweight Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck on Tuesday withdrew from symbolizing the Republican Nationwide Committee in its carefully viewed authorized problem from Salesforce.com Inc and the congressional panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Two associates at the business experienced represented the RNC in Washington, D.C., federal court contesting a subpoena that the Dwelling Select Committee issued to Salesforce for RNC information and facts. Salesforce, also a defendant, is a business program and knowledge analytics corporation that the RNC employs to host and organize campaign and donor information and facts.

A single of the lawyers, Christopher Murray, on Tuesday jumped to Arizona-dependent Statecraft PLLC and will carry on to signify the RNC there. An automatic reply e mail from his Brownstein account explained he was on a depart from the agency, exactly where he has worked for extra than 7 decades. Murray’s on the web biography at Brownstein was no more time operating on Tuesday evening.

The other lover, Julian Ellis Jr, withdrew from defending the firm but has remained affiliated with Brownstein.

It was unclear what prompted Brownstein to again out of the scenario about a few months after it was submitted.

Brownstein’s running companions in Denver, exactly where Murray was dependent, and in Washington, did not return messages looking for comment. Statecraft taking care of associate Kory Langhofer, a previous counsel to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential operate, did not return a message looking for remark.

Brownstein had lobbied in 2020 and final yr for San Francisco-based mostly Salesforce. But the regulation agency finished the work in Oct, according to U.S. lobbying information.

Brownstein is a person of Washington, D.C.’s perennial leaders for federal lobbying earnings. The business reported extra than $55.6 million for federal influence work final 12 months, in accordance to the nonprofit Open Techniques.

A attorney for Salesforce on Wednesday declined to comment, and a representative from the business did not immediately return a concept looking for comment.

Murray did not react to messages to his Statecraft and Brownstein email accounts, and he did not return a contact. A law firm for the RNC associated in the circumstance also did not return messages looking for comment.

Murray is a Hogan Lovells alum and previous president of the Lincoln Club of Colorado, which payments alone as the state’s “authentic Republican club.”

The RNC sued the Dwelling panel on March 9, declaring its subpoena to Salesforce was a “fishing expedition” that would “chill the RNC and its supporters’ Very first Modification rights.”

A choose is established to consider up the dispute at a listening to on Friday.

The Residence Find Committee, fashioned in July, has issued dozens of subpoenas and interviewed more than 500 witnesses.

The situation is Republican Nationwide Committee v. Pelosi, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, No. 1:22-cv-00659.

For the RNC: Christopher Murray of Statecraft

For the House: Douglas Letter

For Salesforce: Marc Zwillinger of ZwillGen

Read more:

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