President Donald Trump has retained Marc Kasowitz as his private attorney for the special counsel's probe of alleged Russian meddling in the U.S. election and possible ties between the Trump campaign and Moscow, a Fox Business Network reporter said on Twitter on Tuesday.
Kasowitz, a New York-based trial lawyer who has represented Trump in the past, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
The White House also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Kasowitz picked from field of four
The Washington Post reported on Monday that Kasowitz was among four prominent attorneys who had spoken to the White House and were widely seen as the finalists for the role of Trump's private attorney, citing four people briefed on the discussions.
The other three attorneys were Robert Giuffra Jr., Reid Weingarten and Theodore Olson, the Post said, citing the four people. It said they spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
The outside counsel would be separate from the White House Counsel’s Office, which is led by Donald McGahn, who served as the Trump campaign’s lawyer.
He would represent Trump in the investigation into Russia ties being run by former FBI Director Robert Mueller, who was appointed as special counsel by the Justice Department last week. Several congressional committees and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are also investigating the matter.
Russia has denied involvement
U.S. intelligence agencies concluded in January that Moscow tried to sway the November vote in Trump's favor. Russia has denied involvement, and Trump has denied any collusion between his campaign and Russia.
But more controversy has engulfed Trump since he fired FBI Director James Comey two weeks ago amid that agency's investigation into possible collusion between his presidential campaign and Russia.
Reuters reported last week that Trump's fired former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and other advisers to Trump's campaign were in contact with Russian officials and others with Kremlin ties in at least 18 calls and emails during the last seven months of the presidential race.
