Alex Kaufman Speaks Out About Trump’s Call to GA Secretary of State
The mysterious “Alex,” who was on the line but did not speak during President Donald Trump’s now infamous hour-long call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was Alex Kaufman, an attorney and a former candidate for the state legislature.
Kaufman, who is Jewish, was on the Jan. 2 call in his capacity as general counsel for the Fulton County Republican Party and as associate general counsel for the Georgia Republican Party in the 6th Congressional District.
Others on the call included White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and attorneys representing both Trump and Raffensperger.
Get The AJT Newsletter by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up
“I do not and have not represented President Trump, the Trump campaign, or the Secretary of State,” Kaufman said in a statement released to the Atlanta Jewish Times late Friday afternoon. “In my personal capacity, I provide legal counsel to local Republican parties and other stake holders. I was on the call in case there was talk of a settlement agreement that impacted my responsibilities. In my view, that call did not cover issues for me to weigh in on, and therefore, I played no role in the conversation.”
During that call, Trump beseeched Raffensperger to “find” 11,780 votes that would reverse his loss in Georgia to Democratic President-elect Joe Biden and made unsubstantiated allegations of large-scale fraud in Georgia during the general election.
Kaufman’s identity as “Alex” was reported Thursday by abovethelaw.com, a website that covers the legal world. The Atlanta Journal Constitution subsequently reported Thursday that Kaufman and his father, Robert J. Kaufman, had resigned from the global law firm Fox Rothschild LLP, where they were equity partners.
In the statement to the AJT, Kaufman said, “My father and I have enjoyed working with Fox Rothschild over the past year, and we have worked with them to provide our clients with the highest levels of service.” Kaufman & Forman P.C., a law firm founded by the elder Kaufman in 1982, merged with Fox Rothschild in December 2019.
“We’ve enjoyed our time working with this great legal team, but in the end, as happens, both sides determined this was not the right fit. We will continue to service our clients’ needs moving forward with the same excellent service they’ve come to expect of us,” Kaufman said.
In a statement issued Thursday, the Fox Rothschild firm told abovethelaw.com: “Firm policy prohibits Fox Rothschild attorneys from representing as counsel anyone participating in efforts to contest the 2020 Presidential Election. The firm does not bar its lawyers from running for public office or participating as individuals in political activities.”
The firm later updated that statement to include: “As you may have read in the media, Alex Kaufman was present for the January 2nd phone call among President Trump and others. Neither Alex Kaufman nor Fox Rothschild represent or have ever represented the President or his campaign . . . As a national law firm, we are non-partisan, and we do not represent either President Trump or President-elect Biden.”
The 37-year-old Kaufman, running as a Republican, lost for the second time in the November general election to Democratic state Rep. Josh McLaurin, who defeated Kaufman in 2018 in their race to represent the 51st House District, which takes in sections of Sandy Springs, Roswell and Johns Creek.
In a pre-election review published in October, Kaufman told the AJT: “Jewish people have been part of the fabric of this country since before its founding through the present. Our people have been on the front lines of fighting for equality for ourselves and others, on building the economy, in the legal field, and in the military. Our culture and religion teach us tikkun olam, personal responsibility to take action, the directive to help others, the value of faith, family and community, as well as the importance of education. I believe that these tenets are messages that we need more of in our leaders at every level of government and regardless of party affiliation.”
Originally published at https://atlantajewishtimes.timesofisrael.com on January 8, 2021.
