![]() “I think there needs to be a chilling effect on the irresponsible writers,” Harder tells me.Īs for the man who devised this legal strategy, he's got his own reputation to protect. “It would be interesting if he's a sitting president, as opposed to just a businessman,” he told me in September, “but either way I would probably bring that case if I felt it had merit.” Indeed, Harder was dragooned into offering what amounted to the Trump campaign's weak response to allegations in People that Trump assaulted one of its reporters years ago: He sent a letter on Melania Trump's behalf to the magazine, denying that she was ever friendly with the reporter (as the story had claimed), which seemed to allow Trump's campaign to say it had threatened legal action against the magazine. While Harder refuses to talk specifics about Trump, he doesn't exactly dampen speculation. Trump has hinted that he'll sue the Gray Lady for “irresponsible intent” (which is not actually a legal term) in response to the paper's reporting on his taxes and a spate of alleged sexual assaults. I mention it because, in 2016, Harder established himself as perhaps the greatest threat in the United States to journalists, the First Amendment, and the very notion of a free press.Ĭertainly, Harder's most headline-grabbing role could come in what would be the libel suit of the century: Donald Trump v. I mention it because Charles Harder scares me shitless and I don't want to get on his bad side. And I mention it not merely to paint a picture or create a mood. This courtesy toward a journalist isn't what one might expect from a guy like Harder. “Can I get you a glass with some ice?” he inquires. When I opt for one of the bottles of Honest Tea, he not only fetches it for me but then wants to make sure the temperature is to my liking. During the first of our several conversations, he offers me an assortment of healthy snacks sitting out on a credenza. He doles out hotel and restaurant recommendations and tips on beating the traffic to LAX: “I like to play tour guide,” he explains. Indeed, the record should further reflect that Harder is an exceptionally gracious host. Even in his Hugo Boss suit, surrounded by the carefully curated contemporary art he's hung on his law firm's walls, the 47-year-old Harder cuts an unassuming, friendly figure. ![]() His smile is pleasant but hardly blinding his complexion is healthy but not vaingloriously so. We are at Harder's law office on Rodeo Drive. “Where does he get off?! I mean, it just bugs me!” “He made it sound like I'm a big fake,” he fumes. This is important to point out because in June, a Forbes article described the Beverly Hills lawyer as possessing a “southern California tan and bleach-white smile.” Now, months later, Harder's still pissed about the characterization. ![]() Let the record show that Charles Harder does not whiten his teeth, nor does he make any effort to bronze his skin. ![]()
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