Misleading and Evasive: Blanche’s Hearing and Trump’s SpeechLast week, all eyes were on Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s confirmation hearing to lead the Justice Department. Mary and Andrew begin with their takeaways: from Blanche’s “evasive, hyper-technical non-responses” to why his close relationship with Donald Trump is problematic, noting a moment where Blanche referred to himself as “his lawyer” and then quickly corrected himself — which Mary called a Freudian slip. They then turn to Trump’s Thursday night address, where he claimed that U.S. elections have been compromised for years. Separating fact from fiction, the co-hosts look at how Trump’s undermining of public confidence may affect the upcoming midterms. Mary and Andrew also highlight reporting from the New York Times indicating a slew of cases brought by ICE against protesters and immigrants are failing the sniff test in court. Plus, an update on former Columbia graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, who recently filed a lawsuit alleging the government and others were part of an effort to suppress criticism of Israel from pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
Further Reading:
• This is the New York Times’ reporting on ICE cases falling apart:
They Were Charged With Assaulting ICE Agents. The Cases Are Crumbling.
• And here is their reporting on ICE related shootings:
At Least 23 People Have Been Shot at by Federal Immigration Agents Since Last Year
• Andrew and Mary also wanted to note this new Compendium from Just Security:
“Zero Evidence”: How Judges and Grand Juries Have Rejected the Trump Administration Efforts to Investigate and Prosecute
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