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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump's reality TV–style pardon spree has real consequences for the justice system
Welcome back, Deadline: Legal Newsletter readers. There's a new legal process in America. It used to be that a guilty verdict or plea was followed by years of appeals and, perhaps years after that, a prayerful pardon application. This week showcased a new playbook: skirt your tax obligations by millions of dollars to fund a lavish lifestyle, plead guilty and, instead of going to prison or paying restitution, have your mom raise money for the president and then get pardoned. That's the case of Paul Walczak in a nutshell, but he's not the only new clemency recipient. Among this week's winning contestants were the reality television couple Todd and Julie Chrisley, whom President Donald Trump sprung from hefty prison terms for financial fraud. Their daughter spoke last summer at the Republican National Convention, where she likened her parents' purported persecution to Trump's indictments. You could say they're kindred spirits with the president when it comes to reality TV, fraud and, with those first two commonalities in mind, a knack for casting their cases as coming from unscrupulous prosecutors (in the Chrisleys' case that prosecutor being a Trump appointee, by the way). Remember, Trump's pardon spree didn't start this week or even this year. In his first term, he kicked things off by pardoning Joe Arpaio, the Arizona lawman convicted of contempt for disobeying a court order to stop racial profiling people for immigration enforcement. That set the 'law and order' tone that carries through to this day, when shirking court orders in the name of immigration enforcement sums up the Trump administration's legal work. Another former sheriff was among the lucky winners on Trump's clemency show. When Scott Jenkins of Virginia was sentenced to 10 years for bribery in March, the acting U.S. attorney had the temerity to criticize him for having 'violated his oath of office and the faith the citizens of Culpeper County placed in him when he engaged in a cash-for-badges scheme.' The prosecutor's statement from that bygone era continued, 'We hold our elected law enforcement officials to a higher standard of conduct and this case proves that when those officials use their authority for unjust personal enrichment, the Department of Justice will hold them accountable.' That is, until — well, you know. 'No MAGA left behind,' Ed Martin tweeted upon Jenkins' pardon. You may recall Martin as having effectively been deemed too extreme for confirmation by the Republican-controlled Senate for Washington, D.C.'s top prosecutor job. So the administration shifted his duties, and his portfolio now includes being the DOJ's pardon attorney (the last one, Liz Oyer, was fired in March after she refused a speedy request to recommend restoring Mel Gibson's gun rights, which the Trump-supporting actor lost due to his domestic violence conviction). One gets the sense that corruption prosecutions are not a priority in the Trump administration. That's evident not only through the president's clemency but also through his Justice Department's actions in court — perhaps most notably in moving to dismiss New York City Mayor Eric Adams' corruption case for overtly political reasons. Ryan Reilly of NBC News observed a connection between the Adams and Jenkins cases, noting that they're linked by the DOJ's Public Integrity Section, which, he reported, 'has shrunk in both size and influence during the Trump administration.' The Adams connection leads us to another big story this week: Trump announced his intention to nominate Emil Bove to be a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit. Bove came onto the scene as then-candidate Trump's criminal defense lawyer, losing the hush money trial alongside his co-counsel Todd Blanche. Blanche is now the DOJ's deputy attorney general and Bove is principal associate deputy. Putting Bove on the bench would reward a sinister use of his law license with a lifetime judicial appointment. His handling of the Adams case is just one example but it's enough to show that he hardly deserves to be a lawyer, much less a judge. Recall that Bove not only pushed for an overtly political dismissal of the corruption case but caused several ethical prosecutors to resign rather than do his dirty work. And after all that, Bove failed to get the case dismissed in the shady way he wanted to — that is, in a way that would've given Trump's DOJ the option of holding the charges as political leverage over the Democratic mayor. The reason Bove failed in his corrupt mission was that the judge presiding over the case, Biden appointee Dale Ho, saw through the farce and refused to allow it. To be sure, Democrats are at fault for failing to confirm a deserving nominee to the Philadelphia-based circuit when they had the chance last year, leaving a vacant seat for Republicans to fill. The consequences of that failure shouldn't be forgotten, then, if Bove is privileged to be in the position of making decisions like the one Ho had to make, in rising above the base impulses of lawyers like Bove. Have any questions or comments for me? Please submit them on this form for a chance to be featured in the Deadline: Legal blog and newsletter. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
MSNBC host avoids addressing backlash to comments about 13-year-old cancer survivor featured in Trump speech
MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace avoided acknowledging the growing backlash she is facing for comments she made about the 13-year-old cancer survivor who was featured in President Donald Trump's joint address to Congress. Wallace was slammed for remarks in MSNBC's coverage of Trump's address inexplicably linking the young boy to Jan. 6 and the suicide of Capitol Police officers. On Wednesday's installment of "Deadline: White House," Wallace refrained from addressing the uproar. In fact, there was minimal coverage of Trump's address during her two-hour program. 13-Year-old Cancer Survivor Earns Standing Ovation As He Becomes Secret Service Agent During Trump Speech One of the most memorable moments from Trump's address was when he put a spotlight on teenager, DJ Daniel — an aspiring police officer who was told by doctors six years ago he had five months to live when he was first diagnosed with brain cancer. "Tonight, DJ, we're going to do you the biggest honor of them all," Trump said. "I am asking our new Secret Service Director, Sean Curran, to officially make you an agent of the United States." Read On The Fox News App The moment sparked a standing ovation from Republicans in the room while Democratic lawmakers remained seated. Trump's 'Weaving' Skills On Full Display In Made-for-tv Address To Congress Wallace shared a grim response to her MSNBC colleagues. "But I think this was a lesson in finding one thing that you let yourself feel," Wallace said. "And I let myself feel joy about DJ, and I hope he's alive for another, you know, 95 years, and I hope he lives the life he wants to live. He wants to be a cop. He knows what he wants to do, and maybe when you have childhood cancer, that crystallizes for you." "I hope he has a long life as a law enforcement officer," she continued. "But I hope he never has to defend the United States Capitol against Donald Trump's supporters, and if he does, I hope he isn't one of the six who loses his life to suicide, and I hope he isn't one who has to testify against the people who carried out acts of seditious conspiracy and then lived to see Donald Trump pardon those people." Msnbc Hosts Call Trump's Comments On 13-Year-old Cancer Survivor In Speech 'Disgusting' Political Move The comments ignited sharp condemnation across social media, even making their way to the White House. "Last night, MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace disgustingly looped in a 13-year-old boy with brain cancer into an attack on the president over January 6," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during Wednesday's press briefing. "It's sad and frankly pathetic that Democrats and liberals in the legacy media continue to allow their hatred for the president to override their love for our country," Leavitt later added. Wallace was not the only network figure to chastise Trump for inviting Daniel to the chamber. "For the record, and this is disgusting, the president made a spectacle out of praising a young man who thus far survived pediatric cancer, as if the president had something to do with that," MSNBC host Rachel Maddow said Tuesday night. "This was in the midst of him praising [the Department of Government Efficiency]," Maddow continued. "The DOGE cuts, among other things, have cut off funding for ongoing research into pediatric cancer." MSNBC did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for article source: MSNBC host avoids addressing backlash to comments about 13-year-old cancer survivor featured in Trump speech
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pritzker: Trump actions ‘threat to our democracy'
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) on Wednesday called President Trump's efforts to reshape and shrink the federal government a 'threat to our democracy.' 'The things that I'm speaking out about now, about, you know, the threat to our democracy, this is not a message to win elections on, it's something people need to know,' Pritzker told MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace on 'Deadline: White House.' 'They need to know that that's happening.' But Pritzker underscored the importance of showing what exactly that means, noting that 'nobody knows' what democracy being at 'risk' looks like. 'And the reality is, what people need to hear about is what the effects of that are,' he added. 'The prices at the grocery store are going up because democracy is being taken away, the impact on you in terms of your health care, 770,000 people in Illinois will lose health care as a result of what Donald Trump and Elon Musk and the Republican Congress are doing right now.' Since his return to office last month, President Trump's administration has moved quickly to reshape the government via actions like executive orders and mass layoffs of government workers. Much of this work has been led by Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The Republican-led Congress has also sought to push through Trump's agenda and budget cut plan. Trump has vowed not to touch Medicaid, but Democrats, including Pritzker, and some moderate Republicans have expressed concerns that cuts could affect the health program. Democrats have pressed for a tougher response to these actions but have struggled to come together around a unified message. Pritzker, a longtime critic of Trump, has rebuked the president over his recent efforts, including his order to rename the 'Gulf of Mexico' as the 'Gulf of America.' He has also been particularly critical of the president's immigration policies. The Hill has reached out to the House Republican Conference, the White House and Senate Majority Leader John Thune's (R-S.D.) office. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
