126 Comments
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Barbara Franklin's avatar

Don’t think for a moment that this is HIS brilliance. This is the result of the long-planned Project 2025 thugs who now are grifting away our wealth.

What’s ironic is while he attacks, he has been so dependent upon attorneys for his entire life. On top of his attacks, he also overwhelms the judicial system. Was there ever a financial analysis of the unnecessary cost of lawyers, the number of cases or or the number of hours he tied up the federal system, while other valid cases never got heard because of it?

Now we read that America is cited as the example for other authoritarians

If we survive this, lawyers, judges and Congress must write iron clad laws to prevent another thug attempting any of this again. Except their crimes are always steps ahead of justice.

Where is the Dem Project 2026 or at least 2029 should we make it there?

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Candida Silva's avatar

And this planning should start now, not if! We need to be a step ahead when we gain power!

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Ginger's avatar

Brilliant is the opposite of the orange stain… he has a strong olfactory nerve assiduously refined by the Heritage Foundation…. it only smells money

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Phyllis S's avatar

“What’s ironic is while he attacks, he has been so dependent upon attorneys for his entire life.” It’s not ironic at all. He figured out a long time ago (thanks, Roy Cohn) that having the money - together with the complete absence of anything resembling scruples - to manipulate the legal system is a huge thumb on the scales of justice. He who can afford to hold out the longest/drown the other side with paper has a lot better shot at winning. This is nothing new. What I never saw coming, though, was the extent to which money could buy not only a favorable decision in a particular case but also control of - and the ability to dismantle - the entire government.

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Fatarae's avatar

It may not be the Dems who save our Democracy. It may be the Independents, but either way it will be ‘we the people’ who lead the way!

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We The People Act Now's avatar

Well said!

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Kittie Davenport's avatar

Thank you for this. I love that these explanations are full and fully understandable. You can expound on the ramifications of the legal issues. TV space does not allow the time necessary. Keep it up!!!! Kittie

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Fatarae's avatar

💯

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Carol's avatar

Since Friday, I’ve heard Norm Eisen, John Flannery and now you, Mr. Weissmann, on the Weiss betrayal. Each of you have illustrated Weiss’s moral, constitutional failing by building out the context. Mr. Eisen focused on the chill of becoming a target, broadly on the betrayal of Paul Weiss by caving to Trump. Mr. Flannery revisited Weiss’s long and storied history of work for Democrats, explained the abandonment of Mr. Pomerantz. You have cast in sharp relief the shock of Weiss’s agreement to give Trump $40M in pro bono work to support the President’s agenda. (Using the edit option, adding here: the significance of Beryl Howell’s restraining order, which provided legal standing for Weiss to bring suit against T. I did not grasp the free gift she had offered to Weiss.) With a brigade of turn-coats at Weiss, it begins to feel as if you, Mr. Eisen and Mr. Flannery as well as our judges have become “the last men standing.”

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Mary Houston's avatar

You are a national treasure with your voice for the rule of law regardless of partisanship. Stay with it.

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Jayne Farrell's avatar

Keep speaking out Andrew. We, the people, depend on you and others with the same ethics and backbone. Weiss should be ashamed of themselves. They blew a huge opportunity.

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Kathy Smith's avatar

Caving to a con man, a convicted felon, and a convicted sexual abuser because your afraid?

Are you not a LAW firm Paul, Weiss?

Do you actually believe you will benefit from this relationship? If so, you must be easily duped.

Acting out of fear is not the answer.

Joining together (in this case, law firms, the rule of law, lawyers, judges) is where your safety lies.

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Fatarae's avatar

Yes. I feel that this is another case of Trump throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks. The Paul Weiss firm more than capitulated, they met him at least halfway with their $40K donation of pro bono work. It’s both disappointing and disgusting

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Kathy Smith's avatar

Pro bono work that conforms to his crooked agenda. How does that work, Paul, Weiss?

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CAROL F's avatar

Wasn’t it a $40 MILLION donation? Or did I get that wrong?

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Kathy Smith's avatar

That’s correct. 40 million bucks of free legal advice, adhering to felon47’s agenda, was the stipulation.

Even if the agenda is illegal?

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JF's avatar
Mar 23Edited

If Paul Weiss bills Trump’s causes at $40K/hour, that should work.

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Fatarae's avatar

lol

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Fatarae's avatar

Yes, of course it was. My bad. Thanks for the correction!

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Michele McGurrin's avatar

Thank you for the clarity and advice… I appreciate your input and I wonder how I can communicate to our Justices to praise their loyalty to the Constitution! I appreciate you Andrew Weismann, Michele

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Luz Aveleyra's avatar

Do you have any insight as to what is happening among faculty and students in the thousands of law schools in our country? Are they mobilizing, organizing, they are the perfect venue. There couldn’t be a more ideal teaching moment than what we are experiencing in our government, law firms, courts…we need to see leadership in the law schools, among their leaders, teachers and students.

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Susan Garrity Benton's avatar

and the ABA.

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John W. Baker's avatar

We must stay engaged, because ultimately these attacks which corrupt and undermine the system are attacks on the people.

The legal system, the law, exists to protect the people from criminals and even from our government when it abuses power against the people.

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Pam Hoffman's avatar

Since the attack is coming from within.

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JF's avatar

It’s a coup against The Constitution.

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Fatarae's avatar

So true!

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Nancy Luque's avatar

Andrew, do you think Paul Weiss clients have a tort (or any other legal) claim against Trump? How about the firm’s equity partners—can you think of a claim they might have? While all of Trump’s dictative behavior sickens me (a former ‘big firm’ lawyer), this hits hard. Never would I have joined a firm whose pro bono efforts were directed towards causes I detested, but imagine being at one in which you were now suddenly invested (as equity partner) in those causes? Have you heard whether the partners voted?

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Sarah van Riemsdijk's avatar

I’d be very curious to hear how that decision was reached by those inside the firm.

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Nancy Luque's avatar

Me too! Especially since a former AG is a partner there.

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Melinda Croft's avatar

Heritage Foundation is conducting a coup on our democracy, and plan 2025 is their roadmap. Cant they be held accountable?

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SBwrites's avatar

I wonder about that as well. Kevin Roberts, who is the CEO of The Heritage Foundation, and the mastermind behind Project 2025, wrote a book, Dawn's Early Light: Taking Down Washington to Save America. The foreword is by JD Vance, whom Roberts says is going to be one of the leaders--if not the leader--of their movement. On December 6, 2024, Roberts also said that "the group will be spending $1M to convince GOP senators, some of whom are reportedly not sold on [Pete] Hegseth, that he is the man for the Pentagon job.

"Roberts believes this crusade is The Second American Revolution, which will be bloodless if the left allows it."

https://www.harpercollins.com/products/dawns-early-light-kevin-roberts?variant=41585944526882

https://democrats.org/news/jd-vance-praised-project-2025-leader-kevin-roberts-and-called-his-dangerous-plans-an-essential-weapon/

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Ollie Parks's avatar

Free speech and freedom of association, baby.

I guess all we can do is dump more and more “better information” into Ye Olde Marketplace of Ideas and pray to whichever legal brahmin it was who convinced us that was the only way to counter bad ideas that he’ll be proven right for the first time since the advent of Trump, “alternate facts,” social media and the Fox News et al. propaganda machine.

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Harsukh Dhillon's avatar

Cow towing to this admin. was the wrong move. Thank you for the breakdown of the facts.

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EmiM's avatar

Andrew Weissmann, “First, lawyers and law firms need to stand together. They need to keep taking these cases and upholding the rule of law.” YES!Please Pease do this: Send this article with a cover letter, to all prominent law firms you know, throughout the US— asking them to come to an online meeting to discuss what strategies should be applied when they face this kind of abuse. All can form a WALL AROUND the LAWS —of our democracy. Remember Lincoln’s words— Together we Stand.. -You- Gather Them—And Stand Together for Us All. “If not Now When? If Not You Who?? Thank you Andrew.👋☝️🙏

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Julie Morrison's avatar

“Compromising principles will not save you. If you compromise enough for the authoritarian-leaning politicians to leave you alone, you risk becoming a mouthpiece for those in power. At that point, it’s no longer a compromise; it’s surrender.” Believe this was said by Stephanie Kapronczay.

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Sarah van Riemsdijk's avatar

Trump has never been anything but a low rent, protection racket mobster. They don’t take the “favor” once; they return, again and again. Paul Weiss has a new Forever Director.

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Malcolm Duncan's avatar

Can't the law firms strike back together with a RICO suit?

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Nancy Luque's avatar

I have been thinking about a RICO conspiracy lawsuit since Trump committed the first ‘predicate act’ in January. Threats and bribes daily!

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Janet Regalia's avatar

Thanks AW. Appreciate the details. Hard to imagine that a reputable law firm would cave. We’re all hoping they will be the institutions that save us. 🙏🙏💕

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