Background Briefing: June 11, 2023
Overwhelming Evidence of Trump’s Endangerment of US National Security
We begin with the devastating 37 indictments of Donald Trump by the Special Counsel Jack Smith based on findings by a Florida grand jury which compel the former president to show up on Tuesday at the Federal Court in Miami one day before his 77th birthday. The indictments provide overwhelming and damning evidence of Trump’s endangerment of US national security; exposing defense and weapons capabilities of both the US and foreign countries, United States nuclear programs, potential vulnerabilities of the US and its allies to military attack, and plans for possible retaliation in response to a foreign attack. Joining us is Michael Greenberger, the former Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General at the U.S. Justice Department where he supervised work on national security matters. He is the founder and director of the Center for Health and Homeland Security at the University of Maryland where he also teaches Constitutional Law.
Republican Efforts to Portray the Prosecution as Biden Taking Out His Main Rival For the Presidency
Then we look further into the damage Trump has done to the nation’s defense and intelligence capabilities and secrets as well as Republican efforts to portray the prosecution as an effort by Biden to take out his major rival for the presidency. Joining us is Frederick Baron, who formerly served as associate deputy attorney general, special assistant to the attorney general, and director of the Executive Office for National Security in the Department of Justice. He also served as Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Columbia U.S. Attorney’s office as well as Counsel to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and he has a recent article at The Bulwark, “Jim Jordan’s Weaponization Subcommittee Keeps Firing Blanks.”
Trump’s Uncanny Luck at Having His Pliant Judge Who He Appointed Hear the Case
Then finally we will look into the uncanny luck that Trump has in being one step ahead of the sheriff while brazenly flaunting his criminality which may now be running out. Joining us to discuss Trump’s luck at having his pliant Federal Judge Aileen Cannon who he appointed hear the case is Bruce Green, the Louis Stein Chair at Fordham Law School and the director of the Louis Stein Center for Law and Ethics, where his main areas of focus are legal ethics and criminal law. He is the past chair of the ABA Criminal Justice Section and chair of the New York State Bar Association’s Committee on Professional Ethics.