D.C. Firm Signs On to Represent Former Ivory Coast Prime Minister
Covington & Burling, one of Washington’s blue-chip law firms, has signed on to represent Alassane Ouattara, the former Ivory Coast prime minister, in his widely supported effort to claim the west African nation’s disputed presidency.
That alone would not normally make much news in a town where Washington lawyers collect foreign clients like hood ornaments. But Covington’s newest client is noteworthy because of the public-relations kerfuffle that has sprouted over the role that Washington lawyers have played on both sides of the Ivory Coast crisis.
Word came last month that two former Clinton administration officials, Lanny Davis and Michael Espy, were lobbying on behalf of Mr. Ouattara’s rival, Laurent Gbagbo, the Ivory Coast strongman who has refused to cede power following an election that international monitors say he lost.
The backlash over his lobbying work prompted Mr. Davis to end his contract with Mr. Gbagbo’s government, which paid him $100,000 a month. While lobbying papers that Mr. Davis filed said he was expected to put forth “substantial evidence” that Mr. Gbagbo actually won the election, he said in interviews that his work was misunderstood and that he was simply seeking a peaceful resolution to the crisis, which has led to bloodshed at the hands of Mr. Gbagbo’s supporters.
Officials at Covington and Burling were quick to note that they will be providing legal advice for for Mr. Gbagbo’s opponent for free – in contrast, the firm noted, to Mr. Davis’ contract.
“Pro bono work like this is who we are,” said Alan Larson, an international specialist at Covington who will be working on Mr. Ouattara’s behalf. “It’s absolutely crystal clear that there is lawful winner to this election, and it is Ouattara and not the guy pretending to be the president.”
Mr. Davis said Thursday that he would be returning half of the $300,000 he received from the Ivory Coast. He said he had already put $150,000 — money that he said was unspent from his work in the Ivory Coast — in an escrow account and was awaiting word from the Treasury Department to ensure that returning the money to Mr. Gbagbo’s regime would not violate international financial regulations.
Any contrast between his work in the Ivory Coast and the pro bono work at Covington, Mr. Davis added, was fueled by “a misimpression about the role that I played.”
He said he was “not on anyone’s side” in the dispute but was seeking to play a behind-the-scenes role as a liason to the Obama administration in an effort to avert further bloodshed. He said that because he could not get direct access to Mr. Gbagbo and was unable to get him to take a call from President Obama, he realized he had become “totally useless” and decided to end the contract.
This post has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: January 21, 2011
An earlier version of this post misspelled the surname of Laurent Gbagbo.
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