Tag: midterms

Briefings

Background Briefing: November 8, 2018

On By gram

 

An Acting AG with Neither the Legal, Ethical, Moral or Judicial Qualifications

We begin with Trump’s new Attorney General now in charge of the Mueller investigation who appears to have neither the legal, ethical, moral or judicial qualifications to be the nation’s top lawman. Furthermore his appointment itself according to a former solicitor general and George Conway, the husband of White House Adviser Kellyanne Conway, is a betrayal of “the entire structure of our charter document” meaning “Constitutionally, Matthew Whitaker is a nobody”. Harry Litman, a former United States attorney and deputy assistant attorney general in the Justice Department, joins us to discuss his articles at the Washington Post “The Mueller probe could be in mortal danger”as well as an article at The New York Times “Congress Can Issue Subpoenas. Will They Matter” and whether at best Whitaker will tell Trump what Mueller has on him, or at worst shut down the investigation and bury the report. We examine how Whitaker essentially auditioned for the job as a Trump loyalist by going on CNN to attack the Mueller probe, then the White House engineered his appointment as Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ chief of staff so that Whitaker could be the White House’s eyes and ears at the Justice Department. And now this unqualified ideologue with bizarre and reactionary views on the law itself, is the acting Attorney General of the United States.

 

Has Trump Found His Roy Cohn in Matthew Whitaker?

Then we speak with Cory Brettschneider, a professor of political science at Brown University as well as a visiting professor of law at Fordham Law School and author of the new book “The Oath and the Office: A Guide to the Constitution for Future Presidents”. He joins us to discuss whether Trump has found his Roy Cohn in Matthew Whitaker and how Whitaker does not believe in Marbury Versus Madison which is the foundation of our judiciary, but believes that judges should be chosen on whether they “Are people of Faith. Do they have a biblical view of justice?”

 

The Looming Possibility of Impeachment If Trump Moves to Fire Mueller

Then finally, although there has been yet another mass shooting not far from where we are broadcasting, we pause on covering this tragedy until there is more information and instead look into the important races left hanging after the election in Florida and Georgia and speak with the author of the new book “The Embattled Vote in America: From the Founding to the Present”. Allan Lichtman, a political historian of American politics at American University who has correctly predicted the outcomes of all presidential elections since 1984, including, against all odds, Trump’s election, joins us to discuss the looming possibility of impeachment if Trump moves to fire Mueller.