Sessions Ousted by Trump; Balch’s Investment Goes Belly-Up
When President Donald J. Trump was elected, media reports suggested Balch & Bingham was a big winner, going to make a windfall, and have the inside track to multi-million dollars in legal fees and lobbying efforts because of their close ties to then-U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions who was the first major elected official to endorse candidate Trump in 2016.
Instead of growing with power and influence these past two-years, Balch appears to have plummeted in shame and disgrace.
- Sessions’ Department of Justice successfully prosecuted and convicted Balch partner Joel I. Gilbert on six criminal counts including bribery and money laundering.
- At least a dozen money-making partners have left the firm.
- Almost all of their influential lobbying clients in Washington, D.C. dumped the firm leaving Balch & Bingham with only two six-figure paying lobbying clients.
- After their partner was convicted, media reports revealed that Balch-made millionaire Joel I. Gilbert had spearheaded an effort to target poor black children with free coat drives to discourage their parents from having their toxic and contaminated property tested by the EPA..
- While under two federal probes, Balch appears to have manipulated the Alabama judicial system and created a secretive Star Chamber.
- In recent weeks, a link was found and Balch appears to have used their close-ties to Alabama Power/Southern Company to target Attorney Burt Newsome in an alleged attempt to steal his business.
Less than six weeks after taking the oath of office, President Trump was side-swiped when newly minted U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the Russian-collusion probe on March 2, 2017.
On the same day that Sessions recused himself, his #2 lifetime donor, Balch & Bingham scrubbed their website clean of any references to having successfully lobbied for changes in Russian sanctions.
Coincidence? Many don’t think so.
But the good news today is that Balch’s stooge is out, gone, hasta la vista.
Sessions’ replacement for now is Matthew Whitaker. Before entering the U.S. Department of Justice, Whitaker headed a public charity that was “dedicated to promoting accountability, ethics, and transparency in government and civic arenas by hanging a lantern over public officials who put their own interests over the interests of the public good.”
Looks like Balch won’t be able to hide behind Sessions, Venable, or any of their former cronies.
Justice is returning. Justice is coming. Inherent goodness shall prevail.
