January 20, 2025

Incoming administration staffers are being warned to weigh the threat of a pricey legal defense and consider purchasing a form of legal insurance that would provide them a lawyer if needed, a protection that many now consider part of doing business under a Trump administration. Via NBC News:

In a cautionary move, Trump’s transition has briefed some incoming administration staff members on the need to price and buy professional liability insurance, according to two people familiar with the warnings. The transition did not respond to requests for comment. It is a need that former aides said they realized they had during Trump’s first impeachment. “Everyone started getting it,” a former administration official said. This person went without insurance and emerged unscathed but said if they returned, they would not be so cavalier.

“You need legal representation if you’re facing people who have the arms of the government at their disposal,” said a former White House official who also was not covered by insurance during the last administration but has purchased it since. “It’s very intimidating when you don’t have people on your side to tell you what you can do and what circumstances you might be walking into.”

“It’s edging into absolute requirement territory,” said a second former Trump White House official. “It would be reckless if you have any assets to protect — the house, college funds, whatever.”

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