Top Trump lawyer resigns

WASHINGTON—John Dowd, who led the legal team defending President Donald Trump against information coming out of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, resigned Thursday. Dowd took over the president’s personal legal team last summer, just as Mueller’s investigation began. The news of his departure comes days after Trump openly criticized Mueller and his team on Twitter. Jay Sekulow, counsel to the president, described Dowd in a statement as “a valuable member” of the president’s legal team. The Daily Beast first reported last week that Dowd had grown frustrated with the investigation and hoped Trump would order Mueller’s firing. Dowd’s departure is the most significant personnel change to the president’s legal team since Trump took office more than a year ago. It’s unclear who the president will tap to take over his defense amid Mueller’s continuing investigation into Russia interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and possible connections to the Trump campaign.