‘Insane authoritarian stuff’: Trump directs Justice Department to investigate political enemies

Summary

In a surprising move, former President Trump has reportedly directed the Department of Justice to investigate his political adversaries, including former Department of Homeland Security official Miles Taylor. Taylor, better known for his book written under a pseudonym, is accused of espionage and treason by Trump. The panel, including journalist Sarah Longwell, discusses the implications of this alleged authoritarian maneuver, speculating whether such actions are distractions from crises such as the economic tumble and internal political controversies. The decision is seen as an intimidation tactic against potential whistleblowers and former staffers, potentially chilling open discourse.

Highlights

• Trump allegedly using DOJ to target political opponents, seen as authoritarian. 🏛️
• Accusations of treason against Miles Taylor for his book on Trump's presidency. ✍️
• Executive orders and investigations used as intimidation tactics. 😬
• Potential distraction from economic issues and policy reversals. 🌪️
• Economic anxieties among voters shaking confidence in Trump's promises. 💵

Key Takeaways

• Trump's alleged direction to investigate political enemies raises eyebrows and concerns over authoritarian tactics. 🤨
• Miles Taylor, author of a tell-all book on Trump's administration, faces accusations of treason. 📚
• This strategy might be a diversion from key issues like economic setbacks and tariff reversals. 💼
• Trump's approach sparks fear among insiders about facing legal repercussions, chilling potential critiques. 😨
• Economic downturns and broken promises concerning price reductions pose significant challenges to Trump's support base. 📉

Overview

The MSNBC discussion reveals Trump's controversial move to potentially use the DOJ to pursue political adversaries, raising significant concerns about authoritarian practices. The conversation pivots around Trump’s allegations against Miles Taylor, best known for his anonymous book documenting alleged internal chaos during Trump's term. Trump labeled Taylor's actions as treasonous, a dramatic escalation in political retribution tactics.

Panelists, including Sarah Longwell, delve into the potential motivations behind this aggressive posture. Speculation suggests Trump might be creating distractions to shift the public eye away from pressing economic issues and policy failures, like the abrupt tariff reversals, perceived as damaging to his political standing. The tactic is viewed not merely as a legal maneuver but a strategic ploy to overhaul public discourse.

Further insights show rising tensions as economic difficulties mount, affecting Trump's rapport with his voter base. Despite his assurances, many voters feel economic strain, raising doubts about his promises of financial improvement. Meanwhile, former insiders face a chilling effect, wary of legal reprisals amidst such politically charged moves, highlighting broader concerns about transparency and accountability in governance.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 02:00: Introduction of Miles Taylor and Anonymous Book The chapter introduces the figure of Miles Taylor and discusses his controversial book, written under the pseudonym 'Anonymous.' The speaker expresses strong criticism, labeling the contents as lies and exaggerations. There's also a claim to barely remember or know Taylor, despite his significant media presence, particularly critiquing the president. This chapter sets the stage for exploring the impact and reception of Taylor's book in broader media and political contexts.
• 02:00 - 04:00: Executive Orders and Investigations The chapter discusses the presence of a person in an office setting, who is perceived as a traitor or spy. It mentions the office environment often having young people around, and the narrator's unfamiliarity with one particular individual who wrote an "Anonymous" book. The narrator expresses negative feelings about the book, calling it 'terrible', and hints at an opportunity to assess its quality.
• 04:00 - 06:00: Revenge Politics and Media Distraction The chapter titled 'Revenge Politics and Media Distraction' discusses the dynamics of media attention and its impact on political figures. It highlights a fictional work that received significant media coverage, leading to the author's lucrative role at a major news network like CNN. The narrative further explores the idea that such media phenomena could undermine the sustainability of presidencies, cautioning that this could pose a challenge not only for the current president but also for future leaders, irrespective of their political affiliations. The speaker argues the unfairness of such situations, emphasizing that they would find it equally troubling if it happened to a Democratic president.
• 06:00 - 08:00: Insider Leaks and Fear Tactics The chapter discusses the ethical implications and legal concerns surrounding insider leaks, particularly focusing on situations where individuals write books about confidential meetings. These books are often sensationalized when the author remains anonymous, creating widespread speculation about their identity. The chapter critiques individuals who use anonymity and insider knowledge to gain publicity, building a narrative around whether such actions should be permissible.
• 08:00 - 10:00: Signalgate and Classified Information Handling The chapter discusses accusations of treason against Miles Taylor, a former Department of Homeland Security official. The narrative includes opinions on the case's significance and eventual Department of Justice involvement, along with insights from Sarah Longwell, a publisher and longtime journalist familiar with the Trump administration.
• 10:00 - 12:00: Economic Concerns and Voter Sentiment The chapter discusses the economic concerns and voter sentiment during Donald Trump's presidency, focusing on his handling of tariffs. The narrative highlights a specific incident where Trump had to reverse his stance on tariffs due to negative market reactions, which was seen as an embarrassment. It is suggested that this could lead to Trump becoming more aggressive and retaliatory on the domestic front. The possibility of pre-typed executive orders ready for his action is noted, alongside a consideration of the political context surrounding these decisions.
• 12:00 - 13:00: Trump's Voter Base and Economic Off-ramp The chapter discusses former President Trump's response to certain events through an executive order, notably targeting individuals such as Chris Krebs. It highlights the unusual nature of using such a mechanism to attack individuals, and raises questions about the appropriateness and implications of this approach.

‘Insane authoritarian stuff’: Trump directs Justice Department to investigate political enemies Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 i barely remember him Barely remember him It was uh somebody that went out wrote a book and said all sorts of uh terrible things or all lies and it was like he was uh like he was this gentleman or that gentleman like I dealt with him all the time I had no idea who this guy I said who the hell is Miles Taylor and he made a living on going on CNN talking about the president and I think what he did he wrote a book anonymous said all sorts of lies bad
• 00:30 - 01:00 things and I think it's uh I think it's like a traitor like it's like spying he walks into the office he's supposed to be sitting here a lot of people you know I'll be here and there'll be there'll be 20 people standing in the room there'll be oftentimes young people in the office I assume he was one of them at least but I didn't know anything about him And uh he wrote a book Anonymous and I always thought it was terrible And now we have a chance to find out whether or not it was terrible But it was a it was
• 01:00 - 01:30 a work of fiction Got a lot of publicity Got himself a nice job with CNN or one of them And I think we have to do something about it You can't have that happen And if that happens to other presidents it wouldn't it wouldn't be sustainable for other presidents I seem to be able to sustain uh but if that happened to other presidents I mean it's just unfair And if it was a Democrat president I'd say that's a terrible thing A thing like that can happen That's a terrible thing
• 01:30 - 02:00 And it's time to find out whether or not somebody can do that Can they write a book uh about very confidential meetings and you know because they happen to be one of a lot of people in a room and they go out and write a book and worse than that call it anonymous like it's a big deal and everybody say who is it who is it who is it then it was found out who he was long time later and uh he got a lot of publicity off that one He's like a promoter But uh we're going to find out whether or not
• 02:00 - 02:30 somebody's allowed to do that I think it's a very important case and I think he's guilty of treason if you want to know the truth But we'll find out And I assume we're recommending this to the Department of Justice An accusation there of treason uh for Miles Taylor a former official at the Department of Homeland Security Joining our conversation is the publisher of the bull work host of the podcast the focus group Sarah Longwell's here Um a long time journalist who's covered Trump for a long time said that after this
• 02:30 - 03:00 reversal having to reverse himself on tariffs because the markets were so bad they were an embarrassment to Donald Trump She said she warned she said he'll become meaner He'll he'll turn up the volume on the retribution stuff and the cruelty on the domestic front Um I don't know that there's any correlation Those executive orders look typed up and ready to go and ready to hand to him Maybe it was always the plan to do that today But what is your sense of the political backdrop against which all of today's
• 03:00 - 03:30 events have taken place well first of all let me just say how insane it is that the mechanism by which he is attacking these people is an executive order I why would that be I mean it's one thing if he wants to be upset or he wants to pursue litigation if he thinks claims have been made but to sign an executive order uh attacking these people especially Chris Krebs I mean Chris Krebs all he did was rebuke
• 03:30 - 04:00 the president's false claim that the election wasn't stolen as somebody in his administration and here's what Trump is trying to do look I don't know how much of it you never know with Donald Trump Is he trying to distract you like a like a guy with a laser pointer and the media is a bunch of cats is he trying to get people to chase things so they stop talking about his the fact that he caved and did a total about face uh on the tariffs after telling us for days uh that he wasn't going to do a pause and now he's suddenly pausing
• 04:00 - 04:30 because the world economy is collapsing Is he doing this as a distraction i don't know But on its face it is incredibly pernitious for him to sign executive orders and launch investigations into people simply for speaking out against what they saw from his administration And also what he was saying there is though it's like highly unusual Look lots of books get written by people who are insiders in administrations who talk about the things that happened in the rooms That's
• 04:30 - 05:00 actually very common That's what reporters do Um and what he's trying to do here though is to make people afraid of speaking out against him Not just people from before but people who are there now people who have an understanding of what he's doing uh and who as people are looking for insight he's saying if you leak because people leak against Trump all the time I mean nobody leaks against Trump more because people inside are trying to make Trump not do crazy things right by telling the
• 05:00 - 05:30 media he's about to do crazy things And so leaking is like a mechanism for them to curb some of Trump's worst impulses And so he's trying to make people afraid by saying he's going to launch investigations into anybody who speaks out I mean this is some of the most insane authoritarianis like authoritarian stuff we've seen out of him Sarah you made a a perfect point though I think to start this conversation about the laser pointer I mean the two stories that have um left a mark are the
• 05:30 - 06:00 man-made debacle of the tariff announcement as well as signalgate another man-made national security crisis talk about sort of the the the wear and tear that those two um sort of twin self-inflicted crises have taken on his early presidency Well just on Signalgate really quickly uh the idea that Donald Trump is a a real stalwart around classified information considering that both he
• 06:00 - 06:30 left a bunch of classified documents in his bathroom at Mara Lago He refused to uh return those documents He's also held nobody accountable for Signalgate And the only reason we stopped talking about the fact that our national security was so compromised by that because they added a journalist to their signal chain as they discussed attack plans is because the economy was crashing around us And this is what Donald Trump does right he lurches us from crisis to
• 06:30 - 07:00 crisis many of them of his own making And then he acts like he's solved the crisis when he does something like announce a 90-day pause But these are things that had been breaking through especially the economic I mean the the I I've been doing focus groups all week Um people are very nervous about the state of the economy They are very scared People who are his supporters have been very nervous about what they're seeing And so uh you know I I just the when you
• 07:00 - 07:30 say the wear and tear here's what I know I know that it usually takes until the summer for somebody's own voters a president's own voters to start to say "I'm not sure I made the right choice or I'm not liking what I'm seeing." Donald Trump it's taken him two months uh before he's got voters starting to say "What is this guy doing and why is he doing it this is nuts." I want to ask you one more quick question about politics and then I want to bring John Halman into our conversation Miles Taylor has responded to Trump's attack
• 07:30 - 08:00 Um one of the things that we've talked about for nine years and it and it feels it feels like snowflakes right but there is a thing in the Trump voter that they need an offramp And I wonder if the tariffs and the intentional damage to the economy is one such offramp You know Donald Trump talked awkwardly about groceries but he did run on making things cheaper and he did the day he got elected start talking about things going
• 08:00 - 08:30 up I wonder if that bit sort of bait and switch um has registered No it is absolutely registered And here's the thing like I always try to make this distinction between the hardcore maggot types right who are going to give Trump a lot of leeway and the big part of the Trump voter coalition were just people who wanted prices lowered And they're different from hardcore MAGA people right they wanted things to be cheaper Trump's a businessman Uh I think he's going to make things cheaper And when he fails to do that it drives a knife
• 08:30 - 09:00 through the like right through the heart of the central mythology around Trump which is that his business acumen can somehow make the economy better for everybody And so that's what's happening right now is people are feeling like oh wait he's not making the economy better Prices aren't going down Um and I think that that is where that is the off-ramp not for everybody in the Trump coalition but for a certain chunk of voters