Callous and Lawless
The latest Main Justice episode on the Trump administration's outrageous conduct
Heads were turning over the weekend after Chad Mizelle, a former senior Justice Department official, put out a recruitment call for Trump-loyal attorneys to hit him up on “X” to be federal prosecutors at the Department of Justice. This is not normal: it is a direct reflection of the politicization of the Department of Justice. It also reflects how slim the pool of applicants must now be for what have long-been highly coveted and competitive DOJ positions.
We then discuss the callousness and lawlessness of the DOJ’s handling of the disclosure of the latest huge tranche of Epstein files. DOJ disclosed an enormous volume of personal information of numerous victims and various naked images. DOJ just happened to miss all that? Victims’ attorneys do not think so. Their application to a federal judge on behalf of victims is linked below: it is well worth the read to get the extent to which Epstein/Maxwell sexual abuse victims have been re-victimized by this Department of Justice. It is simply inexcusable to have had this happen. We discuss what is legally being done about it.
We then turn to Minnesota, where a decision came down rejected a challenge to Operation Metro Surge under the 10th Amendment (at least for now), while the Minnesota federal district court Chief Judge admonished DHS for ignoring over 90 court orders. 96 to be precise! Apparently the new normal; we discus what can be done about that to avoid it becoming acceptable.
We then address the legal and First Amendment implications of the arrests of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort during an anti-ICE protest in the state at a church. Plus: we end on a beat on a controversial federal search warrant targeting 2020 ballots in Fulton County, with more to come on that issue.
Stay engaged, now more than ever.
Andrew
Further reading:
• Here is the Epstein victims’ letter: Emergency Request for Immediate Judicial Intervention—Epstein Transparency Act: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.518649/gov.uscourts.nysd.518649.102.0.pdf
• Here is the New York Times guest essay that I mention in teh episode by former top lawyers at DHS: We Were Top Homeland Security Lawyers. You Can’t Wish Away the Fourth Amendment. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/opinion/ice-dhs-warrants-minnesota.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
It all is a calculated, constant and sophisticated use of Roy Cohn’s tactics of ignoring & creating your own reality.
And you’re right. Just look at LinkedIn. They are advertising for AUSA applicants at many offices. Never saw a vacancy last for more than a NY minute from 1973-2024.
Callous and lawless, perfect adjectives to describe every aspect of the Trump admin. Important update summaries for the week. I’ve come to rely on you for factual, accurate analysis. Thank you!