Trump hires ex-Florida solicitor general to represent him in Mar-a-Lago documents case

Ex-Florida solicitor general Chris Kise will represent Mr Trump at a Thursday hearing to determine whether a Florida federal judge will appoint a special master to review documents seized from his home

Former president Donald Trump has retained ex-Florida solicitor general Chris Kise to represent him in the ongoing Department of Justice probe into whether he violated US laws by taking sensitive government records back to his Palm Beach home at the end of his term and retaining them for nearly 18 months.

A source close to Mr Trump’s legal team confirmed Mr Kice’s hiring for The Independent. His addition to the former president’s defence was first reported by NBC News.

The ex-Florida solicitor general appears to have left a lucrative partnership at the law firm of Foley and Lardner to represent Mr Trump, as the web page listing him as a partner is no longer visible on the firm’s website. Mr Kice is not the first Foley and Lardner partner to give up their place at the firm to serve the ex-president. Another former member of the firm, Cleta Mitchell, resigned her position after it became known that she’d participated on a now-infamous phone call between Mr Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in late 2020.

Mr Kice, who has argued several cases before the US Supreme Court, previously served as counsel to ex-Florida governor and current Florida representative Charlie Crist, as well as a member of the transition teams for Florida governors Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis.

His addition to the stable of attorneys in the ex-president’s employ could add a measure of competence which many observers have found to be lacking in Mr Trump’s defence in the weeks since the 8 August search of his home and office.

Several of the attorneys who currently represent the ex-president have little to no experience in federal court, much less in the complex cases that can arise from investigations under laws governing the handling and storage of national defence information.

According to multiple reports, Mr Kice is set to appear for Mr Trump at a Thursday hearing which will determine whether a Florida federal district judge will appoint a special master to review documents seized from Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach mansion turned private club where the ex-president maintains his primary residence and official post-presidential office.