A new episode of the Insider podcast is now out. Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance break discuss:
– The Trump administration’s new $1.776 billion settlement fund to compensate January 6 defendants and allies the administration claims were victims of DOJ “weaponization”;
– Allegations that Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was asked to recuse from Trump matters at the Justice Department;
– A DOJ lawsuit seeking to block a D.C. Bar ethics investigation into Jeffrey Clark and other Trump administration lawyers; and
– A federal judge’s criticism of the Justice Department for allegedly lying to the court.
A NOTE FROM THE PRODUCER
Jake Kaplan is the Supervising Producer of the Stay Tuned with Preet and Insider podcasts.
Will taxpayers be forced to fund President Trump’s “revenge tour”?
On a new episode of the Insider podcast, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance discuss the Trump administration’s new DOJ settlement fund that will be used to compensate January 6 defendants and allies the administration claims were victims of “weaponization.”
As Preet and Joyce explain, this is just another stop on Trump’s “revenge tour,” but this one could leave taxpayers footing the $1.776 billion bill.
As Preet puts it: “It’s not enough to issue clemency or pardons for those folks. Now it’s time to compensate them.”
They also break down the legal questions surrounding the fund, including whether DOJ can lawfully distribute settlement money this way and whether Congress might stop it. While Preet and Joyce criticize the proposal as a misuse of government power, they explain why it may still survive legal scrutiny.
Joyce: “[Trump is doing] something that no one has ever done because it’s so stupidly undemocratic. But technically, there’s an argument that it’s not unlawful.”
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
