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cover of episode A Shell Game
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Andrew Weissman
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Mary McCord
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Andrew Weissmann: 我和 Mary 一直关注着一些重要的法律案件，这些案件本身就具有重要意义，或者代表了我们未来会反复看到的模式。我们讨论了纽约市长埃里克·亚当斯案中的不当行为指控，以及政府在该案中前后矛盾的立场。这引发了对检察权的滥用和政治干预的担忧。此外，我们还讨论了华盛顿特区美国检察官办公室刑事部门负责人 Denise Cheung 的辞职，以及她对政府要求她做一些违背其道德和法律义务的事情的抗议。这突显出在政治压力下，维护法律和伦理的挑战。最后，我们分析了最高法院对 Trump 解雇特别顾问 Hampton Dellinger 的裁决，以及司法部对 Elon Musk 角色的陈述与 Musk 本人言行之间的脱节。这些事件共同揭示了美国政府内部权力制衡的脆弱性，以及对法律和伦理原则的潜在威胁。 Mary McCord: 我同意 Andrew 的观点。我们讨论的案件都指向一个共同的主题：政府行为的合法性和伦理问题。在亚当斯案中，政府和被告都寻求撤销诉讼，但政府的理由前后不一致，这令人担忧。这表明政府可能利用刑事程序来施加政治压力，而不是为了追求正义。Cheung 的辞职进一步证明了政府内部存在的压力和不当行为。在 Dellinger 案中，最高法院的裁决以及政府对 Musk 角色的含糊其辞，都突显了政府内部缺乏透明度和问责制。这些事件都表明，需要对政府行为进行更严格的审查，以确保其符合法律和伦理规范，并维护权力制衡的原则。我们还讨论了合作协议与本案中政府与被告达成的协议之间的区别。合作协议通常是书面的，被告承认责任并提供合作。而本案中，被告否认责任，协议的目的是为了迫使被告服从政府的政治意图。这是一种滥用权力，可能对未来的政府行为产生危险的先例。

Deep Dive

Chapters
The hosts discuss the Eric Adams case, focusing on the motion to dismiss and the appointment of Paul Clement as amicus. They analyze the government's position, highlighting concerns about potential quid pro quo and the implications for prosecutorial discretion. The discussion also touches upon the differences between this situation and typical cooperation agreements.
  • Judge Ho appointed Paul Clement as amicus to represent the public interest.
  • The government and the defense initially sought to dismiss the case without prejudice.
  • Concerns exist about a potential quid pro quo involving the dismissal of the case.
  • The discussion compares this situation to standard cooperation agreements and deferred prosecution agreements.

Shownotes Transcript

In a news cycle that keeps on churning, Main Justice hosts Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord wade through the nonstop dispatches to set some focal points for this episode. They begin with the hearing held by Judge Dale Ho last week over the Eric Adams dismissal and the Judge’s appointment of Paul Clement as amicus, a.k.a. a friend of the court. Andrew details the important decisions Judge Ho has before him as Mary drives home why this case will reverberate beyond the embattled New York Mayor. Then, they touch on the latest resignation- this one, from Denise Cheung, the chief of the criminal division in the DC US Attorney’s office, after being asked to do something by the administration she believed was unsupportable.  And last up, Andrew and Mary look at the Supreme Court denial of a stay in the case involving Trump’s firing of Hampton Dellinger, and the disconnect between DOJ representations about Elon Musk’s role in court versus what Musk is saying and doing in practice.

Further reading: Here is Andrew’s piece on Just Security: Why the Rule of Law Depends on an Evidentiary Hearing in Mayor Eric Adams’ Case.)

And HERE) is the letter of resignation from the head of the criminal division in the U.S. attorney’s office in D.C.

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