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MSNBC

Main Justice is the next era of legal analysis from Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord, the veteran lawyers behind the hit podcast Prosecuting Donald Trump. As the criminal cases against Trump wind down and his new administration comes to power, Andrew and Mary draw on their extensive experience working within the Department of Justice to break down what’s happening inside Trump’s DOJ. Each week, they use their platform on Main Justice to safeguard against assaults on our laws, our Constitution, and our democracy.

Prosecuting Donald Trump

Within the 80-page motion filed last week to dismiss Donald Trump’s New York criminal case, there’s a long list of grievances laid out by his legal team. MSNBC legal analysts Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord underscore some of the substantive arguments as to why a sitting president might find a pending case constricting, reasoning that there are aspects that could interfere with effective functioning of the presidency. But they also illuminate how these merits are buried deep within pages of hyperbole of alleged unfairness to the president-elect, prompting Andrew to ask, in terms of the facts, “Where’s the beef?” Then they turn to some analysis of a letter written by incoming Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, which calls out current FBI Director Christopher Wray with a personal vote of no confidence. 

Want to listen to this show without ads? Sign up for MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts. This week, you’ll find a Premium episode from Andrew and Mary highlighting the national security apparatus and why Trump’s nominees for these top posts matter.

A Kitchen Sink of Grievance

There’s been significant action in New York as Judge Juan Merchan denied one of Donald Trump’s motions to dismiss his 34-count verdict- this one based on the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity decision. After a noteworthy amount of speed reading several filings, MSNBC legal analysts Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord break down Merchan’s rationale, highlighting the specifics of his multi-layered legal reasoning. Then, they turn to another fully briefed pending dismissal motion, this one based on the temporary immunity a sitting president is granted while serving. 

Want to listen to this show without ads? Sign up for MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts. You’ll also hear a recent Premium episode from Andrew and Mary detailing our national security apparatus and why Trump’s nominees for these top posts matter.

One Dismissal Denied

After a quick review of the Georgia Court of Appeals decision disqualifying Fani Willis from Donald Trump’s criminal case based on an appearance of impropriety, MSNBC legal analysts Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord are joined by NYU Law professor and Dean Emeritus, Trevor Morrison. The discussion revolves around the limits and scope of the presidential pardon power, the legal precedence of a blanket pardon for crimes not yet adjudicated, and whether a president can in fact, pardon himself. 

Want to listen to this show without ads? Sign up for MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts.

The Pardon Power

In this final episode of 2024, MSNBC legal analysts Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord are joined by Dahlia Lithwick, Slate Senior Editor and host of the Amicus podcast. Together, they take stock of the legal hills and valleys of this past year, and the role the Supreme Court played in how Donald Trump’s criminal cases were litigated. They also take a beat to consider the impact of legal journalism in the year ahead and the responsibility of legacy media to continue to hold power to account.

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Reflecting on 2024 with Dahlia Lithwick

As the political landscape transforms and Donald Trump’s criminal cases wind down, MSNBC legal analysts Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord shift focus to keep watch on the incoming president and how his Department of Justice will use the law to move his agenda forward. With this realignment comes a new name: Main Justice. In this episode, Andrew and Mary explain what Main Justice is before breaking down the barrage of incoming news, from Trump's pending New York sentencing to his attempt to stop the public release of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s final report. They also give a taste of the broader scope they plan to cover, with analysis of Trump’s unusual filing in the Supreme Court, urging a pause in the TikTok ban until he takes office.

Also, note to listeners: since the time of our recording, a New York Appellate judge has denied a stay of Trump’s sentencing. You can read that decision HERE.

This podcast will still cover any lingering issues around Trump’s criminal and civil cases, and you’ll continue to find new episodes in the “Prosecuting Donald Trump” feed. It will now just fall under the name “Main Justice”. So if you haven't already, follow the feed to receive weekly episodes.

Main Justice

In a Manhattan courtroom on Friday January 10th 2025, president-elect Donald Trump was sentenced in his New York hush money case after being convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records. The Judge in the case, Juan Merchan, elected to unconditionally discharge Trump, meaning he’ll receive no further penalties. Once sworn in on January 20th, Trump will be first convicted felon to occupy the White House.

Full Audio of Donald Trump's NY Sentencing

While this podcast’s name has changed, this week’s episode revolves around all things prosecuting Donald Trump. After a detailed review of Judge Juan Merchan’s reasoning and limitations for sentencing the president-elect after his New York criminal conviction, veteran prosecutors Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord wind through the barrage of motions in Florida to block the release of both volumes of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s final report. After underscoring why Volume Two-- concerning the now dismissed classified documents case-- is still under wraps, they dig into the finer points of Volume One, released to the public at 1:00 a.m. Tuesday morning. This first volume lays out the facts and the law as it relates to Trump’s DC election interference case which has also been dismissed, though Smith writes, "but for Mr. Trump's election and imminent return to the Presidency, the Office assessed that the admissible evidence was sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction at trial."

Further reading: Here is Volume One of Jack Smith’s final report.

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Postmortem

Within hours of Donald Trump’s inauguration, numerous executive actions were signed and over 1500 pardons were issued for nearly all of the January 6th defendants, despite his vice president and attorney general nominee suggesting a more refined approach. So, on this first full day of Trump’s second term, hosts Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord review the blunt nature of these pardons, especially for those convicted of violent acts that day. Then they turn to pardons issued by President Biden in his final hours in office to shield those targeted by Trump for retribution- including members of Congress, those who testified in the J6 investigation, and members of his own family. And finally, Mary and Andrew dive into the myriad of executive actions signed by Trump as legal challenges begin to mount around things like getting rid of birthright citizenship, using the military domestically at our border, undoing the TikTok ban and the creation of DOGE.

Further reading: Here is Mary’s recent write up in the Atlantic: A Sweeping January 6 Pardon Is an Attack on the Judiciary

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Project 2025 in Action

Introducing “Trumpland with Alex Wagner.” 

On “Trumpland,” MSNBC’s Alex Wagner takes a break from the anchor chair to get out into the field and speak with the people on the frontlines of Trump’s policies—and promises. 

Listen to the full first episode here, as Alex travels to DC—but not for the inauguration. 

Hours after President Trump was in sworn into office for the second time, he began issuing a series of presidential pardons for the January 6th insurrection. Listen along as Alex speaks to the inmates, their families, and the police officers who survived one of the most violent attacks on the Capitol in our nation’s history. 

Catch new episodes of “Trumpland with Alex Wagner” on Thursday evenings during Trump’s first 100 days. You can find the show in the “Alex Wagner Tonight” feed. 

Remember to follow the show so you don’t miss a single episode. And sign up for MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen without ads.

Listen to “Trumpland with Alex Wagner”

A week into the second iteration of Donald Trump’s White House, hosts Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord take stock of the abrupt and unrelenting changes to our federal government. Andrew points to security details yanked and security clearances revoked as blatant retaliation against Trump’s perceived foes. Mary highlights several judges who are pushing back against blanket pardons for J6 convictions. Then, they turn to Trump’s executive action on birthright citizenship, reviewing several challenges already in motion, including a case brought by Mary and her ICAP team. And before wrapping up, our two resident career litigators look at the withering independence of the Justice Department from the White House, and how all roads lead through the DOJ.

Further reading: Here is the New York Times’ piece on Kash Patel that Andrew mentioned in this episode: F.B.I. Pick Pushed False and Misleading Claims About Trump Investigations

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Boggles the Mind

This week, Donald Trump’s New York criminal trial began in earnest with opening statements and testimony from former AMI CEO, David Pecker. MSNBC legal analysts Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord break down the essence of the openings from both sides and how the statements will illuminate aspects of the trial in the coming weeks. Plus, Judge Merchan admonished the defense in Tuesday morning’s gag order hearing, saying that they were ‘losing all credibility’, but reserving a decision on the issue. For now. And looking ahead, Andrew and Mary weigh in on the questions they hope to hear in Thursday’s oral arguments before the Supreme Court to decide whether Donald Trump’s presidential immunity claim holds water.

For further reading: here is the article Andrew wrote with his colleague Ryan Goodman in Just Security Questions the Supreme Court Should Ask at Thursday’s Oral Argument on Presidential Immunity

And a sincere thanks to all our listeners for voting in the Webby Awards! Prosecuting Donald Trump won the 2024 Webby Awards for both the Crime & Justice podcast category and was the Crime & Justice People's Voice winner.

Opening Statements

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