Free Speech For People is calling for state criminal investigations into President Donald Trump’s extortion of nearly $1 billion in legal services from at least nine law firms.

FSFP Legal Director Courtney Hostetler joined legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner on Justice Matters this week to discuss our call for criminal accountability in New York, Pennsylvania, California, Massachusetts, and Illinois.

“In every state that we’ve looked into, it’s illegal to extort someone,” Hostetler stated. “The fact that [Trump and his allies] are powerful should make states more concerned about protecting their citizens from extortion, not less concerned. We shouldn’t be in a position where power and politics make you immune.”

We recently filed formal requests with the Attorneys General in five states, as well as local prosecutors, to review whether Trump and senior administration officials have violated state laws and, if warranted, bring appropriate criminal charges, as detailed in letters delivered to those offices.

The extortion of free legal assistance from large law firms is a brazen, illegal abuse of power that attacks attorney independence and undermines the adversarial system that is at the heart of our country’s rule of law. We won’t let it stand.

Click here to learn more about our campaign and add your name in support.