EXCLUSIVE: GOP Texas rep demands BAR Assoc renounce 'activist' law group 65 Project

Republican Congressman Lance Gooden of Texas issued a letter to the American Bar Association on Wednesday requesting that they denounce the “radical activist” legal group known as the “65 Project" which has launched a ruthless effort to disbar former Trump attorneys, or any other conservative lawyers, who have been associated with the Trump administration. 

At least 111 lawyers from over two dozen states have been targeted by the 65 Project for being involved in Trump's post-election lawsuits, according to the letter.  

While the group brands itself as “a bipartisan effort to deter future abuse of the legal system" and lawyers accountable who have questioned election results, Rep. Gooden argued in the letter obtained by The Post Millennial that the 65 Project has been "weaponized as a partisan political vendetta machine" to disbar lawyers over their political affiliation. 

"I write concerning the troubling operations of the 65 Project, a radical activist group actively targeting legal professionals," Gooden wrote. 

"The 65 Project identifies and targets lawyers who represent or associate with clients they 'disapprove' of on personal, ideological, and political grounds. This group has increasingly pursued disbarment for lawyers for reasons unrelated to their professional duty and without any dereliction of duty or misconduct. They have been weaponized as a partisan political vendetta machine," said Gooden.

"The 65 Project, falsely parading as a bipartisan entity, is nothing short of a political intimidation tool, armed and operated by their partisan allies. Their mission is clear: to systematically dismantle the careers of legal professionals who dare to represent or associate with President Trump," he continued. 

The congressman went on to explain that the 65 Project has "successfully 'identified' and targeted 111 lawyers from 26 states for their involvement in President Trump's post-election lawsuits." 

"This targeted campaign against lawyers is a brazen attempt to polarize legal advocacy by chilling participation in the market of legal talent that doesn't ascribe to or oppose a certain political mindset," Gooden stated. "Targeting attorneys based on their client's political affiliation undermines the diversity of legal representation and poses a grave threat to the ideals of free speech and fair representation." 

"The tactics employed by this organization are reprehensible, often involving threats of disbarment, public shaming, and underhanded attempts to manipulate the standards of the American Bar Association to serve a partisan agenda. 

Furthermore, Rep. Gooden called out the group's "hypocrisy" for their failure to target Democrat lawyers who have also questioned the results of an election in the past, arguing that the 65 Project does not act in a bipartisan nature. 

For this, Gooden explained that while "the 65 Project claims to 'uphold election integrity,' they have remained willfully ignorant of any Democratic-aligned attorneys who have challenged election laws or results in the past, which warrants disbarment according to their own standards." 

"In 2021, when U.S. Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks won by a slim majority in an Iowa Congressional race, the Democratic leadership enlisted the assistance of attorney Marc Elias to lead the charge in overturning the results. The legal fees for this attempt were paid by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). Even more alarming is that Marc Elias and his firm, Perkins Coie, represented several Democrat members on the House Administration Committee in their election contests during the 117th Congress.” Gooden cited a press release from March 18, 2021, when GOP lawmakers “raise[d] conflict of interest and ethical issues with the Democrat attorney.” 

"This breach of conduct was not only in violation of the American Bar Association's Rule 1.7 but illustrated a serious conflict of interest for Democrat Representatives in powerful committee positions. The 65 Project did not even attempt to inquire into Marc Elias' actions, yet it continues to aggressively pursue lawyers affiliated with the Trump administration over similar election integrity lawsuits," argued Gooden. 

The Texas Congressman urged the American Bar Association to "denounce" the 65 Project on the grounds that "lawyers must be free to engage in good faith legal representation without fear of disbarment, civil or criminal suit, or partisan retribution" due to their political affiliation. 

"The cornerstone of our justice system is the principle that every person, cause, or claim deserves fair representation in the courts, free from the influence of political bias and mob rule. The politically motivated targeting of over a hundred legal professionals simply for offering representation is an affront to the very essence of our judicial system," said Gooden. 

According to the group’s website, they will hold “lawyers accountable for past abuses and will work to revitalize the state bar disciplinary process so that lawyers, including public officials, who lie about election results and who fuel insurrection will face professional consequences.” 

The group has targeted former Trump lawyers including Rudy Guiliani, Jenna Ellis, Sidney Powell, and John Eastman, to name a few, according to Politico. 

The group’s advisory board consists of Chief Justice Christine Durham, Roberta Cooper Ramo, Renee Knake Jefferson, Paul Rosenzweig, and Stuart Gerson.  

Durham has stated before that companies should set “hard goals” to implement DEI quotas. ““They’ve got to say to managers, ‘I want your department to be half female, X percent racially integrated by X date, and your bonus will depend on it,’” Durham told the Salt Lake Tribune in 2021.  

Renee Knake Jefferson teaches at the University of Houston as a professor and has courses including a seminar on the topic of “gender, power, law, and leadership.” 

Paul Rosenzweig wrote an article in 2021 it the Atlantic titled, “Ban Him Forever: To send the right message, Donald Trump’s removal from Facebook must be permanent.” 

Stuart Gerson penned one in the same publication in 2022 titled, “The DOJ Must Prosecute Trump.”