Trump wages STUNNING attack with dangerous executive order

Summary

In a recent episode of Democracy Watch, Brian Tyler Cohen hosts a discussion on former President Donald Trump's controversial executive orders that target major law firms. The conversation highlights Trump's tactics of intimidating law firms to reduce opposition to his administration. Cohen discusses the legal community's timid response and the potential ramifications on the federal judiciary's ability to check Trump's power. The segment emphasizes the importance of standing firm against political pressure and supporting initiatives like Democracy Docket, which actively fight against authoritarianism and defend voting rights.

Highlights

• Trump signed orders targeting law firms, causing ripples in the legal industry 📜.
• Big law firms are criticized for failing to stand up against Trump's aggression 😕.
• The chilling effect aimed at neutering opposition in the federal courts was discussed 🏛️.
• Democracy Docket emerges as a key platform for defending democracy and legal rights 🛡️.
• Call to action for the legal community to remain vocal and not back down 📣.

Key Takeaways

• Trump's executive orders target major law firms, aiming to intimidate the legal industry 🙄.
• Big law firms have shown a lack of solidarity and public resistance 🧐.
• Trump's strategy includes intimidating the legal community to weaken judicial resistance ⚖️.
• It's crucial to challenge Trump's actions and support voices that speak up 🔊.
• Democracy Docket offers critical insights and resources to combat authoritarianism 📚.

Overview

In this episode of Democracy Watch, Brian Tyler Cohen dives into the depths of Trump's latest maneuvers against major law firms. By targeting these firms with executive orders, Trump aims to create a chilling effect across the legal community. Cohen discusses with his guest the tepid response from these firms and their lack of a unified front.

The conversation shifts to the implications of Trump's actions on the judiciary, which has often stood as a bulwark against his administration's more controversial policies. The tactics aim to weaken the judiciary's ability to effectively counteract any undemocratic moves, threatening the balance of power in the government.

Throughout the discussion, Cohen emphasizes the need for courage and solidarity in the face of intimidation. Supporting platforms like Democracy Docket is highlighted as essential for keeping the spirit of democracy alive and for providing vital resources in the struggle against authoritarianism.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction In the chapter titled 'Introduction', the discussion focuses on the impact of executive orders signed by Trump targeting law firms. There is a particular emphasis on whether these firms came together to push back against the administration's actions. The narrative also critiques the role of Legacy Media and their response, particularly highlighting the Associated Press's experience during this period.
• 00:30 - 01:30: Media Criticism and Big Law's Response The chapter titled 'Media Criticism and Big Law's Response' discusses the reaction of Legacy Media organizations to certain events, highlighting their tendency to step back instead of taking a stand. It criticizes billionaires and oligarchs who acquiesce to political pressures, and also takes aim at major businesses for failing to assert their positions. Furthermore, the chapter addresses criticism towards large law firms, commonly known as 'big law,' for their lack of response or action.
• 01:30 - 02:30: Trump's Targeting of Law Firms The chapter discusses the situation involving law firms that have been targeted, presumably by Donald Trump. It highlights how these firms have not publicly defended themselves or expressed outrage. Instead, they appear to be intimidated and hope to avoid conflict by remaining silent. The chapter criticizes this approach, emphasizing that it is not the role of lawyers or law firms to shy away from confrontation or accountability. It also notes that this strategy of non-engagement is ineffective, given Trump's relentless aggression.
• 02:30 - 03:30: Impact on the Legal System The chapter discusses the interactions between law firms and Trump, noting the challenges these firms face when dealing with Trump-related cases. The conversation hints at the futility felt by some lawyers who believe that no matter how much they attempt to stay clear of conflict, it's never enough. Some specific law firms are mentioned, including one where the speaker previously worked, which engaged in litigation against the Trump campaign. Despite general practices of opposing the federal government, confronting Trump presents unique difficulties.
• 03:30 - 04:30: Concerns About Political Retribution The chapter discusses the actions of certain firms that appeared to act against the Trump administration, suggesting they had a business model focused on opposing Trump. The speaker gives a personal example from their time at a firm that was adversarial to Trump's campaign and his first term in office. The narrative highlights that despite adversarial actions, these firms primarily serve a wide array of interests and clients, signifying that their opposition to Trump was part of a broader business strategy rather than a singular focus.
• 04:30 - 09:00: Call to Action and Promotion of Democracy Docket In this chapter, the speaker discusses what they perceive as a strategic move by Donald Trump to intimidate a law firm due to its potential involvement in representing a party opposing him. The speaker describes this as an example Trump wanted to set and highlights how his personal history and presence until 2021 were catalysts for certain actions. This is portrayed as part of broader pretexts used by Trump to exert influence and control.

Trump wages STUNNING attack with dangerous executive order Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 this is democracy watch Mark we have watched in the last few days As Trump has signed numerous executive orders targeting law firms this is obviously a space that you work in first of all um did we see the law firms in light of this happening come together and push back against the Trump Administration try to have some solidarity within the industry uh no so look I have been a vocal critic of the Legacy Media who you know bowed and scraped When Donald Trump Came Calling and when the Associated Press was targeted in particular we saw
• 00:30 - 01:00 a whole lot of Legacy Media organizations take a step back rather than uh than embrace the AP and boycott uh the the Oval Office and the other things that were being put on them I was a big critic of the billionaires and the oligarchs who who bent a knee and flew their private jets to to to uh to Mar lgo and a big critic of big business that has refused to stand up and I am a Critic also of what we have seen from the big law firms often times referred to as big law because they have not
• 01:00 - 01:30 stood behind the firms that have been targeted they have not issued public statements saying this is an outrage instead they too seem to be cowed they seem to be hiding they seem to think that if they simply don't offend Donald Trump perhaps they will escape it well I'll tell you what that is not the job of a lawyer it's not the job of a law firm and as you and I have talked in so many other contexts it doesn't even work it doesn't even work like Donald Trump has an an unlimited appetite for
• 01:30 - 02:00 obsequiousness so it's never enough it's never like you do enough to to just stay out of his way Mark just for posterity here were these law firms that had previously been willing to confront Trump look I mean here's the thing you know every Law Firm is involved in doing some work adverse to the federal government so in that sense sure and certainly you know one of them which was my former Law Firm when I was there we did a lot of litigation against the Trump campaign and and the like but I would didn't say either of these law
• 02:00 - 02:30 firms were like running around as a business model sticking their finger in the eye of the of Donald Trump or the Trump Administration I mean certainly you had practices as like I mentioned like mine when I was at one of these firms that that was uh that was uh adversarial to the Trump uh uh campaign uh and to some extent the Trump Administration in in his first term um but mostly these are Big corporate law firms that represent a broad variety of interests broad variety of clients and I
• 02:30 - 03:00 think Donald Trump just decided that he wanted to make an example in the one instance uh he picked a law firm that had had the audacity wait for it to have a meeting with Jack Smith to potentially represent him okay like that's the kind of stuff that we're talking about in the other instance obviously like I said my presence there uh uh prior to uh to 2021 or through part of 2021 was part of the impetus but these are pretenses in my view for him to you know to to try to
• 03:00 - 03:30 bring big law to heal in the same way that I would argue that his you know his picking a fight with the Associated Press over whether they call it the Gulf of Mexico or the Gulf of America is a pretense to show the rest of the media that he can come down really hard on the Associated Press and so to that exact point knowing that it's not really necessarily about the specific law law firm that he targets it's more about the chilling effect that it'll have more broadly knowing that
• 03:30 - 04:00 the the federal Judiciary has served as such an effective boww workk against his administration is there concern that if he basically picks off one by one these Major law firms which are are necess I mean you need lawyers to be able to argue in court by picking off all of these law firms that will be able to make the case against his administration in the federal courts which again have served as an effective Bull workk against his administration that he'll kind of neuter the the most potent tool that we have to fight back against him absolutely and look I mean I it's worse
• 04:00 - 04:30 than that I don't think he has to go after a lot of law firms right he only has to go after a couple and the rest get the message I mean let's remember Brian you know you and I were sharing the outrage of so many when ABC News agreed to settle a frivolous case for a million dollars what did we see after that we saw afterwards the billionaire owners of media just like tripping over themselves to give a million to to to settle for 15 million uh I I think we
• 04:30 - 05:00 got Bezos uh what paid 40 million for a for a for a life uh for a movie are are are you suggesting that melania's life story is not worth $40 million to to to audiences who are thirsting for that kind of entertainment I mean you know I guess I guess he doesn't own a record label right so he couldn't sign your favorite Trump to your favorite artist that's right Lara Lara just always always getting snubbed right so but yeah so like look I mean that is the that is of course what I worry about here and you point out the
• 05:00 - 05:30 the the fact that it is ultimately the courts right now that are the the institution that is standing up to Donald Trump so if you take out of the equation large law firms in terms of their willingness to do the work that clients bring them or that clients need them to do on a pro bono basis or on a paid basis to hold Trump accountable and to challenge illegal action if you take them out of the equation you have taken away a big part of the legal Arsenal now not not all of it I mean you know you
• 05:30 - 06:00 still got smaller law firms and you know I I I pointed out uh on social media you know uh that that the Wall Street Journal may say that uh elite law firms are in Retreat well I run an elite law firm we're not in Retreat and there are other elite law firms not in Retreat so it's not it's not defanging everyone but you know if you take out of out of the the equation some of these really large law firms it will make a difference to that point you know you have been in the crosshairs of Donald Trump and his and those who are in his orbit for quite a
• 06:00 - 06:30 long time famously um you know sadly Lou dos never got to see you make good on that on that half a billion dollar offer that he put out there to get you to to cross sides and go on to the other side but but um given the fact that you've been in the crosshairs of the Republicans for so long do you have any concern about uh the Trump Administration targeting you look of course I have concerns that the Trump Administration is going to Target me I mean you know the Trump Administration is going to engage in political retribution against its enemies it is
• 06:30 - 07:00 going to launch every tool available to it to quiet its critics I am definitely an enemy I mean that you know something that uh cash Patel and Steve bennon talked about uh I am definitely a Critic I am as loud a Critic as I possibly can be and so of course I'm worried uh that that Donald Trump is going to Target me that that Donald Trump's Administration is going to Target me but the question is not whether or not I'm worried the question is what do we do with that worry and so I wrote about on Democracy
• 07:00 - 07:30 docket it is it is okay to be afraid what is not okay is to let that fear cause you to back down you know if you were a Critic of Donald Trump when he was on trial in New York uh courtrooms why are you not a Critic of him today if you were happy to say when Joe Biden was in the White House that Donald Trump doesn't deserve to be any place near the White House right remember all those people saying that in the Legacy Media if you are willing to say that then why
• 07:30 - 08:00 aren't you willing to say that today and if you were a lawyer willing to volunteer or for pay uh to protect voting rights against Donald Trump uh who were willing to challenge the unlawful actions of the first Trump Administration and now you find yourself quiet you are part of the problem right you're not you're not you're not just neutral you are part of the problem because you were happy when it was easy and when it was convenient and when everyone would celebrate you to stand up
• 08:00 - 08:30 for democracy but now that it is really on the line if you are sitting in the back row trying to figure out how you get out of the room first then you know you're you're worse in some sense than the Po Folks who never spoke up at all well look that that exact lack of Courage is the complete opposite of what you and your team have been doing at democracy docket which is fighting back loudly and proudly against the worst excesses of this Administration highly recommend for folks who are looking to get a good source of news and also to support a team of people who isn't
• 08:30 - 09:00 afraid of this Administration who isn't looking to just cow toow to those in power by virtue of them being in power right now please make sure to sign up for democracy doit it is the news Outlet Mark founded to focus on everything voting in election it's become a crucial resource for me on a daily basis so I'll put that link right here on the screen and also in the post description of this video I'm Brian teller Cohen I'm Mark Elias this is democracy watch [Music]