Federal filings show that lawyer Daniel Petrocelli contributed $2,700 to Hillary Clinton's campaign after Donald Trump brought him on to the case against Trump University. | Getty Trump's lead lawyer donated to Clinton after joining case Daniel Petrocelli's support for Clinton undermines Trump's widespread claims of bias in the Trump University case.

In the middle of the firestorm over Donald Trump’s racially based attacks on the judge overseeing the Trump University lawsuits, the billionaire GOP nominee went on Sean Hannity to rant against the plaintiffs’ law firm for paying Hillary Clinton large sums of money for speeches.

“The law firm gave hundreds of thousands — I think it was $900,000 or $700,000 — in speaking fees to the Clintons,” Trump said on Tuesday. “Plus, they contributed tremendous amounts of money to the campaign.”


“The whole thing is disgusting,” Trump added.

But Trump’s lead lawyer in the case has Clinton ties of his own.

Federal filings show that Daniel Petrocelli has donated to Clinton over the years, and even contributed $2,700 to her campaign after Trump brought him on to the politically fraught case.

The fact that Trump’s own lawyer in the class-action cases has been an avid Clinton backer undermines his accusations of bias in the case, not only against the plaintiffs’ lawyers but also against U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who Trump says has an “inherent conflict of interest” because of his Mexican heritage.

Records with the Federal Election Commission show that Petrocelli has donated to several Democrats over the course of more than 15 years, including California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore and, in February of 2016, to a joint fundraising committee supporting Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet.

He’s also repeatedly donated to Clinton, who is gearing up for a fierce general election battle against Trump. Petrocelli made two $1,000 donations to Clinton during her 2000 run for Senate, records show.

While Trump has also donated to Democrats over the years — and to Clinton’s Senate campaign — it’s Petrocelli’s most recent donation that’s the most eyebrow-raising. His last contribution to Clinton was logged with the FEC on Jan. 11 of this year, almost two months after Petrocelli joined the Trump University case on Nov. 23 last year.

It’s unclear in what setting Petrocelli gave his most recent financial contribution to Clinton. The former secretary of state held two fundraisers in early January in Los Angeles where Petrocelli could have made the $2,700 donation, the maximum donation to a candidate during a primary election.

One was at the Jim Henson Co. studio lot in Hollywood, and another was held at the home of City National Bank Chairman and CEO Russell Goldsmith, and featured Warren Buffett.

Petrocelli did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks also did not respond to a request for comment. Yahoo noted the donations in a story on Tuesday.

Petrocelli is a big name in Los Angeles, where he’s a partner at O'Melveny & Myers, but he also gained national prominence when he convinced a jury that O.J. Simpson was civilly liable for the 1994 deaths of Ronald Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson.

The salt-and-pepper-haired trial lawyer’s star rose from there, as he represented Jeffrey Skilling, the much-reviled former CEO of Enron, and other high-profile clients such as Manny Pacquiao and The Walt Disney Company.

Petrocelli's long-time support of Clinton adds another intriguing element to an already explosive case that has overshadowed Trump’s campaign in recent days as some fellow Republicans have criticized his attacks on Curiel as racist.

Petrocelli, however, has been careful to not add to the heated rhetoric.

As the controversy started swirling around Trump, Petrocelli praised a ruling from Curiel in early May that moved the trial date for the case back to November, as opposed to holding a trial this July when it could interfere with the Republican National Convention.

It was a major win for Petrocelli and for Trump, who has been accused by his political rivals of running a sprawling scam through Trump University, which offered real estate seminars that loaded some customers down with heavy debts.

“We’re pleased that this case is not going to trial [while] Mr. Trump is preparing for the presidential election,” Petrocelli told reporters after a hearing last month. “We think that’s a sound decision by the court.”

Petrocelli was also asked if he would try to seek the judge’s recusal in the Trump University case. “The judge is doing his job,” Petrocelli told reporters at the time. “We’re not seeking to recuse the judge.”

Petrocelli himself has made no secret that he’s not in lock step with Trump when it comes to the Republican nominee’s incendiary rhetoric.

He spoke to The Hollywood Reporter for an article that published on April 21, and called Trump’s attacks on Curiel “unusual.”

"Trump is a very opinionated guy," Petrocelli said in the article, which referred to the lawyer as a registered Democrat. "Yeah, it was certainly unusual. I think the judge recognizes the rhetoric that takes place in politics is not for the courtroom, and I think he's separated the two."

He also wouldn’t be drawn out on whether he plans to vote for Trump -- "It depends who he is running against.”

And Petrocelli said he doesn’t dwell on Trump’s comments about women and minorities. "I compartmentalize it," he said. "My goal is simply to advocate a client's cause. He didn't hire me for my political views. He hired me for my legal skills."

Those who have worked with and observed Petrocelli over the years told POLITICO that they don’t believe his support for Clinton will color his representation of Trump in the high-profile case.

“He’s a consummate professional,” said Hayward Kaiser, a partner at Petrocelli’s former law firm Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP, who worked for years with Petrocelli and has tried a case with him. “He will operate as an aggressive advocate for his client, and be totally ethical in his approach.”

“His style is ‘take no prisoners’ in the courtroom,” said former Associated Press reporter Linda Deutsch, who watched Petrocelli closely during the civil lawsuit against O.J. Simpson. “If he represents Trump, he will probably take that approach in his examinations of the people that are suing Trump.”

Others who have watched Petrocelli in court say he’s impressively well-researched. When cross-examining witnesses, he’s soft-spoken — but aggressive.

Petrocelli was brought on more than five years after one of the class-action lawsuits was first launched, and has sat through hours of deposition with the candidate since he began representing Trump in November. He’s filed successful motions to set back a trial date and has tried to keep evidence sealed and out of the public eye.

Petrocelli’s understanding of celebrity and showmanship involved in high-profile court cases sets him up well to take on a trial like the Trump University case, said Lawrence Schiller, a writer and filmmaker who embedded himself with Simpson’s defense lawyers during the trial and wrote a book on the subject.

“He may be better prepared to defend Trump than any other lawyer in the United States right now,” Schiller said.

Those who know Petrocelli’s work say they have full confidence in his impartiality. But some said there’s a remote possibility of a breaking point.

“When he gets focused, he gets focused -- and he really is not distracted by other people’s comments,” said Laurie Levenson, a professor at Loyola Law School and longtime California lawyer who has watched Petrocelli’s career, especially during the Simpson trial.

But on the other hand, Levenson said, it’s possible there will be “a point at which he would get fed up with this — who knows.”