Charles Manatt

• Trump was once represented by Charles Manatt, an influential Democratic lawyer who once served as chairman of the DNC and as US Ambassador to the Dominican Republic. “Charles T. Manatt, who founded one of the biggest and most influential law firms in Los Angeles and then became a political power as chairman of the state and national Democratic parties, died Friday night. He was 75. […] Manatt assumed a thankless task as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, taking over just when the Reagan era was dawning. Democrats were beaten politically and psychologically when he took the job in early 1981. […] In 1992, Manatt served as national co-chairman of Bill Clinton's winning presidential campaign, and in 1999, during Clinton's second term, he became U.S. ambassador to the Dominican Republic. […] In 1965, Manatt paired with Tom Phelps -- whom he met at Iowa State -- to create a law firm, starting with a walk-up office near Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street. The two weren't paid much, Manatt later joked, and were probably worth the price. Manatt, Phelps and Phillips eventually would become one of the largest law firms in the country, with hundreds of attorneys and a constellation of celebrity clients, including, at various times, Bob Dylan, Barbra Streisand, Michael Douglas, Donald Trump and the firms Time Warner, Lionsgate and DreamWorks.” (Los Angeles Times, July 23, 2011)