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Constitutional Showdown

2025/3/18
logo of podcast Prosecuting Donald Trump

Prosecuting Donald Trump
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Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord discuss President Trump's unorthodox speech at the Department of Justice, highlighting its deviation from traditional norms of separation between the White House and the DOJ.
  • President Trump delivered a highly unorthodox speech at the DOJ, viewed as largely political and filled with grievances.
  • The speech was held in the Great Hall, a significant venue for DOJ events, but was invitation-only, which is unusual.
  • Trump's speech blurred the lines between the executive branch and the DOJ, reminiscent of post-Watergate norms.
  • The President's directives to dismiss cases and invalidate pardons were highlighted as severe breaches of DOJ independence.
  • The discussion emphasizes the importance of maintaining the norm of DOJ's independence from political interference.

Shownotes Transcript

Last Friday, President Trump spoke before a gathering at the Department of Justice to lay out what was seen largely as a grievance fest, singling out individuals and media organizations he perceives as his enemies. Main Justice hosts Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord lay plain the unorthodox nature of a speech like this, especially before a department that is meant to maintain independence from the executive branch. But that was just the start of a wild weekend, after Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act to deport hundreds of Venezuelan migrants, just as a court order blocking their removal was filed. So, Andrew and Mary tackle the latest developments in several buckets before breaking down the Supreme Court’s consideration of the request by the president to lift the pause on his birthright citizenship executive action.

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