Okay, it was a DC steakhouse, not a bar, and this is no joke.

Two of President Trump’s personal lawyers—Ty Cobb and John Dowd—ate lunch at BLT Steak on a recent Tuesday and discussed differing legal strategies for responding to Director Mueller’s Russian-related document requests.  They dined and debated with no knowledge that New York Times reporter Ken Vogel sat at an adjacent table secretly taking notes of the lawyers’ conversation.

Photo: @kenvogel Twitter

What does this episode mean for President Trump’s potential invocation of executive privilege?  What lessons can all lawyers derive from this inside-the-beltway faux pas?  Let’s discuss.

“Every Washington Reporter’s Dream”

In a recent NYT article, ‘Isn’t that the Trump Lawyer?’: A Reporter’s Accidental Scoop, Vogel provided a blow-by-blow account of his encounter with the two Trump lawyers.  He met a source at BLT Steak for lunch and, shortly after ordering, the restaurant seated Messrs. Dowd and Cobb at a table directly behind Vogel. More…