Lawyers, State Secrets, And Signal Chats
The New Podcast Episode Of Main Justice – BTH, Vol 3.3.e
On this week’s episode, Mary and I discuss the potential criminal statute that could have been violated by the senior Trump official who participated in the now-infamous war discussion on the unclassified app Signal. Much has been written about this colossal story, but little about the potential criminal violation here of 18 USC section 793.
But we begin the podcast with the alarming capitulation by the law firm Paul, Weiss to pressure from the Trump administration. In a striking move late last week, the firm agreed to various measures in exchange for the rescinding of an executive order that targeted it. It’s a textbook example of blacklisting by the administration —and the firm’s response amplifies the chilling effect we’ve been warning about which is no longer theoretical.
We then turn to the Trump administration’s litigation regarding whether it defied a court order issued by U.S. District Chief Judge James Boasberg. At the heart of the matter: the deportation of hundreds of people claimed to be part of a violent gang without due process. With the government now invoking the “state secrets privilege,” this case is rapidly escalating into a high-stakes constitutional confrontation.
And finally, we unpack the legal implications of the Signal “chat” first reported by The Atlantic—what appears to be a jaw-dropping example of recklessness (or worse) involving alleged sensitive national defense information disseminated on a public app.
For further reading:
• Mary’s latest at Just Security: Dissecting the Trump Administration’s Strategy for Defying Court Orders
• My own piece on Just Security: The New “Blacklists” Work When Law Firms Stay Silent
• The criminal statute we reference: 18 U.S. Code § 793 – Gathering, transmitting or losing defense information
–Andrew
P.S. A transcript is available through Apple Podcast.
Chris, I agree with your point of preaching to the choir, however, I NEED Andrew’s expertise and explanations of the legal actions Trump and his administration is using to get his way.
Andrew, please keep up the good work!!
You don’t get it. A plurality of America doesn’t care if laws were broken, rights were infringed or even if the Constitution has been violated. “Don’t confuse me with the facts” is their mantra. All that matters to them is that the bureaucracy is being slashed, illegals are being rounded up and punished and libtards are being owned. Your constant chatter is simply preaching to the choir. You aren’t being listened to AT ALL by the majority of the nation that voted this lying criminal traitor into office. The ONLY way out of this awful mess is if his supporters are adversely affected—severely—by his policies. And even then, most will believe him when he says it’s the fault of the Dems, not him.