Top congressional Democrats are once again pressing Kirkland & Ellis on the nature of its deal with President Donald Trump, according to a newly published letter of inquiry addressed to firm chairman Jon Ballis. The latest letter from Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California; Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, ranking member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations; and Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Maryland, ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee is now their fourth attempt to get concrete answers about the nature of Kirkland’s deal with the president, in which the firm promised to provide $125 billion in pro bono services under the president’s term. Since striking the deal, Kirkland has also reportedly taken on work for the U.S. Department of Commerce for free. “We have written to your firm three times previously seeking documents and answers regarding this corrupt bargain, and Kirkland has provided no responsive information or records in response to any of these letters,” the latest inquiry, postmarked March 2, 2026, reads. “In light of Kirkland’s failure to meaningfully respond, and your firm’s potential violation of federal law, we seek additional information about your firm’s contacts with Mr. Boris Epshteyn and details of your work for the federal government.” In two April 2025 letters, Blumenthal, Raskin and Schiff first sought information regarding Kirkland’s deal with the president as well as Kirkland’s possible attempts to recruit lawyers from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, which was targeted with a punitive executive order from the Trump administration earlier in the year. In a third inquiry, posted in September 2025, the group of representatives sought information regarding the nature of Kirkland’s work with the Commerce Department or any other government agency as well as details on whether the firm was being compensated for that work. In two responses, both signed by Kirkland litigation partner W. Neil Eggleston, a former White House counsel to President Barack Obama, Kirkland provided minimal details about its agreement with the president. The first response, dated April 28, 2025, described the deal as adhering to the firm’s meritocratic ideals and resolving an EEOC investigation into the firm; the second response, dated Oct. 7, 2025, indicated that the firm was “comfortable” with the agreement it made with the administration, stating that Kirkland retained its autonomy in selecting whom to represent and was keenly “attuned” to potential client conflicts as a result of the agreement. “Your (September 2025) letter raises a number of legal issues in connection with legal work the firm performs without pay for government agencies pursuant to the agreement. We are comfortable that the agreement does not run afoul of the issues that you raise in your letter,” Kirkland's second response reads. However, the most recent Congressional inquiry takes issue with Kirkland’s admission to performing work for an unidentified set of government agencies for free. “This admission is startling,” the letter states, referring to Kirkland’s October response. “Kirkland has not only informed Congress that it is conducting legal work for government agencies—plural—but that it is doing so for free. In effect, Kirkland concedes providing free legal work directly after being threatened by the Trump administration with a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) investigation and the prospect of financial- and access-related penalties that were previously imposed on other law firms.” The letter ultimately suggests that Kirkland’s work for the federal government may fall under the category of bribery. Compounding that accusation, the letter also raises concerns about the role of former Trump administration official Boris Epshteyn in striking the deal and describes previous allegations of bribery involving Epshteyn. “The involvement of Mr. Boris Epshteyn, a former Trump administration official, legal fixer and a Trump co-conspirator to overturn the 2020 presidential election, raises yet further concerns about this arrangement,” the letter reads. “Mr. Epshteyn has been dogged by reports that he solicited illegal pay-to-play schemes in exchange for securing political appointments in the Trump administration.” Furthermore, the inquiry raises several other concerns with Kirkland’s deal, ranging from creating conflicts around clients looking to sue the Trump administration, violations of the American Bar Association’s Rules of Professional Conduct, and possible violations of the Antideficiency Act. “The time for short, nonresponsive replies—assuring us that Kirkland knows best and feels comfortable about its arrangements with the Trump administration—is over. We again request all records related to your agreement with the Trump administration, including communications and written agreements, as well as all communications, meeting records, or documents relating to any negotiations with Mr. Epshteyn,” the inquiry insists. The letter requests that Kirkland provide Blumenthal, Raskin and Schiff with all of its communications with Boris Epshteyn or his agents; a list of individuals or entities who wrote to Kirkland or its agents to discuss an agreement with the administration; all agreements made with the administration, including client retainers and conflict disclosures; and a list of federal agencies the firm has provided work to, including the number and billable value of the hours worked. However, while Democratic lawmakers have continued to press firms to provide details on their deals with the president, since they are in the minority, they aren’t able to force firms to respond to inquiries and would likely need Republican support for any subpoena efforts. A spokesperson for Kirkland & Ellis did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Representatives for Blumenthal and Raskin did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In response to a request for comment, a spokesperson for Schiff pointed to a recent X post from the senator. "Top law firms are still providing free legal services at Trump's bidding, even though doing so may be a clear violation of the law. Just one day after the administration said it would abandon its defense of its attacks on law firms, they unsurprisingly reversed course," Schiff's post reads, tagging Raskin and Blumenthal. "[We] are continuing to demand answers — including the role Trump fixer Boris Epshteyn played in brokering these corrupt bargains." This article has since been updated with a comment from Sen. Adam Schiff.