January 24, 2024

American Bar Association

321 North Clark Street
Chicago, Illinois 60654

To Whom it May Concern,

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

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. So far, they have 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. 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.

Though 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.1 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.

Regardless of political affiliation, lawyers must be free to engage in good faith legal
representation without fear of disbarment, civil or criminal suit, or partisan retribution. 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. Ever since
John Adams defended the perpetrators of the Boston Massacre, the right to representation has
been an American ideal regardless of the political nature of the accused party. 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.

As someone who profoundly respects our legal system and its foundational role in upholding
justice and the rule of law, I urge you to denounce the 65 Project for acting as a partisan hit
squad. Additionally, any current or future member of the Bar or a trained legal professional that
assists, partakes, supports, or is involved in any capacity in unwarranted political targeting of
fellow Bar members must face strict disciplinary action. Anyone submitting a Bar complaint,
particularly those associated with the 65 Project, must be obliged to reveal their identity. It is also
important the Bar does not consider complaints from third-party political organizations or
activists attempting to push their own agenda in the legal field.

Stringent action is needed to restore balance, professionalism, and impartiality to the legal field.
This is a pivotal moment to realign the legal profession within ethical moorings, free from
political bias.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter, and I look forward to working with you to
restore the people’s faith in our legal system.

Sincerely,

Lance Gooden
Member of Congress

1
“GOP Members Raise Conflict of Interest, Ethical Issues with Democrat Attorney Marc Elias Working to Unseat
Rep. Miller-Meeks,” Committee on House Administration, Press Release, March 18, 2021. https://republicans-
cha.house.gov/2021/3/gop-members-raise-conflict-interest-ethical-issues-democrat-attorney-marc-elias
CC: Republican Attorneys General Association
1747 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20001

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