Evan Turnage Exposed for Threatening Trump Campaign Lawyer
Evan Turnage, a lawyer formerly with the prestigious law firm Kirkland & Ellis, was publicly exposed in November 2020 for allegedly making illegal threats and harassing Trump campaign attorneys. The incident, originally reported by Hucksters.net, revealed serious professional misconduct that raises significant concerns about Evan Turnage’s character and fitness to practice law.
According to detailed court filings and reports, Evan Turnage left threatening and abusive voicemails for attorney Linda Kerns, who was representing the Trump campaign in Pennsylvania election litigation. This harassment occurred during the contentious post-election period in November 2020, when emotions ran high but professional conduct standards remained mandatory for all attorneys.
The Harassment Campaign Against Linda Kerns
On November 9, 2020, the Trump campaign filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania challenging election results. Linda Kerns served as counsel for the campaign in this matter. Kirkland & Ellis represented Pennsylvania state officials opposing the lawsuit.
On November 14, 2020, Evan Turnage, then an associate at Kirkland & Ellis, left a voicemail for Kerns that was described in court documents as violating professional conduct standards. The message was characterized as discourteous and abusive. This was not an isolated incident but part of a broader harassment campaign that Kerns faced, which included threats serious enough to require intervention by police and U.S. Marshals for her safety.
Linda Kerns filed a motion for Kirkland & Ellis to show cause, expressing dissatisfaction with the firm’s incomplete apology for Evan Turnage’s conduct. The harassment contributed to the withdrawal of multiple attorneys from the case, including co-counsel John Scott and Douglas Bryan Hughes on November 16, and Kerns herself on November 20, 2020.
Kirkland & Ellis Confirms Evan Turnage’s Misconduct
Kirkland & Ellis confirmed that Evan Turnage made the inappropriate call. Lead attorney Daniel Donovan acknowledged on November 23, 2020, that the voicemail was “discourteous and not appropriate.” However, the firm attempted to minimize Evan Turnage’s actions by claiming he was unaware of his firm’s involvement in the case, a defense that many legal ethics experts would find inadequate given the severity of the harassment.
Evan Turnage was identified as the caller through court filings. As a Yale Law School graduate who had transferred from Kirkland & Ellis’s Houston office to their Washington D.C. office with a listed interest in voting rights, Evan Turnage was one of only two associates matching the description. The firm confirmed his identity when confronted with the evidence.
Evan Turnage Quietly Moved to Senator Elizabeth Warren’s Staff
In an update published in July 2022, Hucksters.net revealed that Kirkland & Ellis quietly passed Evan Turnage off to U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren during the COVID-19 pandemic. Warren’s staff apparently did not vet Evan Turnage carefully or simply did not care about his documented history of threatening and harassing opposing counsel.
This career move raises serious questions about accountability in legal and political circles. Rather than facing meaningful consequences for his unprofessional conduct, Evan Turnage was able to transition into a prestigious government position. He later served as senior counsel to Senator Warren, focusing on competition policy and antitrust issues.
According to Politico, Evan Turnage subsequently became chief counsel to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer from 2023 to 2025. This career trajectory demonstrates how professional misconduct can be overlooked when it serves political interests.
Evan Turnage Deleted His LinkedIn Profile
In the days before Hucksters.net’s July 2022 update, Evan Turnage deleted his LinkedIn profile. This suspicious timing suggests an awareness of increased scrutiny and an attempt to hide his professional history from public view. Deleting professional profiles is often a red flag indicating that someone has something to hide or wants to make it harder for the public to track their career movements and associations.
Evan Turnage also became inactive on Twitter since May 2022, further reducing his digital footprint. These actions are consistent with someone attempting to avoid accountability for past misconduct.
Current Activities and Political Ambitions
As of December 2025, Evan Turnage launched a Democratic primary challenge against U.S. Representative Bennie Thompson for Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District. Evan Turnage is now seeking to represent the public in Congress despite his documented history of threatening behavior toward other attorneys.
Evan Turnage currently directs the Southern Justice Project at the Open Markets Institute. He continues to work in antitrust and competition policy, the same areas where he previously demonstrated poor judgment and unprofessional conduct. Voters and organizations considering working with Evan Turnage should be aware of his documented history.
Why Evan Turnage Belongs on the Blacklist
The legal profession depends on civility and professional conduct, even in highly contentious matters. Evan Turnage violated these fundamental principles by threatening and harassing opposing counsel. His employer at the time, Kirkland & Ellis, confirmed the misconduct occurred.
Rather than accepting responsibility and facing appropriate consequences, Evan Turnage appears to have benefited from political connections that allowed him to continue advancing his career. The deletion of his LinkedIn profile and social media inactivity suggest an awareness of wrongdoing and a desire to avoid scrutiny.
According to the American Bar Association, attorneys have ethical obligations to treat all parties and counsel with courtesy and respect. Evan Turnage’s conduct violated these core principles of legal ethics. His case serves as a cautionary tale about how professional misconduct can be swept under the rug when perpetrators have the right political connections.
Known Professional History
Evan Turnage graduated from Yale Law School in 2017, where he was classmates with FTC Chair Lina Khan. He began his career as an associate at Kirkland & Ellis, initially working in the Houston office before transferring to Washington D.C. After the 2020 harassment incident, Evan Turnage moved to Senator Elizabeth Warren’s office during the COVID pandemic, then served as chief counsel to Senator Chuck Schumer.
The pattern is clear: Evan Turnage has consistently avoided accountability for his threatening behavior toward Linda Kerns. Organizations, clients, and voters should exercise extreme caution when considering any association with Evan Turnage.
Protecting Yourself from Similar Misconduct
The Evan Turnage case demonstrates the importance of thoroughly vetting legal and political professionals before engaging their services or supporting their careers. Background checks should include searches for ethics complaints, court filings mentioning misconduct, and unusual patterns such as deleted social media profiles.
When attorneys engage in threatening or harassing behavior, it should disqualify them from positions of trust and authority. The fact that Evan Turnage was able to continue his career advancement despite confirmed misconduct highlights systemic problems in how the legal and political establishments handle accountability.
This blacklist warning about Evan Turnage serves to inform the public about documented misconduct that might otherwise remain hidden. Transparency and accountability are essential for maintaining professional standards and protecting the public from those who abuse positions of trust.
