A new episode of the Insider podcast is now out. Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance discuss:
– The passing of Senator Lindsey Graham, his legacy, and the legal process to replace him in the Senate and committees;
– A federal judge’s ruling that criticized President Donald Trump and the Justice Department for colluding over the $1.776 billion slush fund and the underlying lawsuit;
– E. Jean Carroll’s receipt of her $5 million sexual abuse and defamation judgment in her civil case against Trump; and
– Trump’s anticipated petition asking the Supreme Court to reconsider the birthright citizenship decision.
A NOTE FROM THE PRODUCER
Jake Kaplan is the Supervising Producer of the Stay Tuned with Preet and Insider podcasts.
On a new episode of the Insider podcast, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance break down a scathing new ruling from U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams, who concluded that President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS was never a legitimate legal dispute. The case also involved the controversial settlement that would create a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, while relieving Trump, his family, and associates of potential tax liability.
In her opinion, Williams wrote that the lawsuit “was brought for an improper purpose — to gain the imprimatur of judicial legitimacy for a ‘settlement’ that had no viable basis in law or fact…[T]he facts before this Court demonstrate there was never adverseness between the Parties; there was never a case or controversy; and there was never a question as to who would prevail.”
Preet and Joyce discuss the broader significance of the opinion, which accuses Trump’s personal lawyers and senior Justice Department officials of manipulating the judicial process and abandoning their ethical obligations.
Joyce: “This is not a DOJ that behaves in the way that we’re all entitled to expect DOJ to act. These are public servants sworn to uphold the law, [the judge] says, and they ignored ethical norms, court rules, and legal authority, and this is [the judge’s] language, ‘to manipulate the judicial process.’”
Listen to the episode and comment below with your thoughts and questions. Thank you for being a member of our community here on Substack. If you’re not yet a paying subscriber, you can now listen to a free excerpt from the show. For access to the full analysis, upgrade your subscription.
Stay Informed,
Jake
Photo by Drew Angerer via Getty Images
