Andrew Weissmann

The actual firing of people who worked on the Trump cases is, completely violates the civil service rules. So that's illegal. That's the kind of thing that if these people sue, it goes to something called the Merit System Protection Board.

Meritocracy, that's interesting. So Tim, these are people who are protected. They're not at-will employees. You have to have a reason, a good cause reason to fire them. Why is that? Why do we not want, and we want a sort of civil service protection? Precisely so that every four years with a change of administration,

Meritocracy, that's interesting. So Tim, these are people who are protected. They're not at-will employees. You have to have a reason, a good cause reason to fire them. Why is that? Why do we not want, and we want a sort of civil service protection? Precisely so that every four years with a change of administration,

Meritocracy, that's interesting. So Tim, these are people who are protected. They're not at-will employees. You have to have a reason, a good cause reason to fire them. Why is that? Why do we not want, and we want a sort of civil service protection? Precisely so that every four years with a change of administration,

You don't just put in a bunch of loyalists because the idea is the facts and the law don't change. And people are just going to be there doing their job based on the facts and the law and not based on being a political crony of what the next administration wants. That's the ethos. That is why this all came to exist in sort of post-Tammany Hall. So to fire those people, you have to have good cause.

You don't just put in a bunch of loyalists because the idea is the facts and the law don't change. And people are just going to be there doing their job based on the facts and the law and not based on being a political crony of what the next administration wants. That's the ethos. That is why this all came to exist in sort of post-Tammany Hall. So to fire those people, you have to have good cause.

You don't just put in a bunch of loyalists because the idea is the facts and the law don't change. And people are just going to be there doing their job based on the facts and the law and not based on being a political crony of what the next administration wants. That's the ethos. That is why this all came to exist in sort of post-Tammany Hall. So to fire those people, you have to have good cause.

So if they bring a lawsuit, I think they win. But the damage is done. But to me, one of the first things the acting attorney general did was fire these people. This is the head of our law enforcement agency. As a first step is just saying, you know what, I don't believe in civil service.

So if they bring a lawsuit, I think they win. But the damage is done. But to me, one of the first things the acting attorney general did was fire these people. This is the head of our law enforcement agency. As a first step is just saying, you know what, I don't believe in civil service.

So if they bring a lawsuit, I think they win. But the damage is done. But to me, one of the first things the acting attorney general did was fire these people. This is the head of our law enforcement agency. As a first step is just saying, you know what, I don't believe in civil service.

Exactly right. That's exactly right. And there was more grounds legally for what they did. It was more sort of politically legal. One of the things that was part of that scandal was with respect to removal of U.S. attorneys, the sort of heads of various prosecuting offices around the country.

Exactly right. That's exactly right. And there was more grounds legally for what they did. It was more sort of politically legal. One of the things that was part of that scandal was with respect to removal of U.S. attorneys, the sort of heads of various prosecuting offices around the country.

Exactly right. That's exactly right. And there was more grounds legally for what they did. It was more sort of politically legal. One of the things that was part of that scandal was with respect to removal of U.S. attorneys, the sort of heads of various prosecuting offices around the country.

But there also was somebody on staff who was stripping out, at least this is the accusation, stripping out from the honors program people who were identified as sort of liberal or Democrats. That's totally improper to do that. And here, one of the things that's happened, and I know this because I'm now teaching a law school, is summer positions all on hold. People told the offers are rescinded.

But there also was somebody on staff who was stripping out, at least this is the accusation, stripping out from the honors program people who were identified as sort of liberal or Democrats. That's totally improper to do that. And here, one of the things that's happened, and I know this because I'm now teaching a law school, is summer positions all on hold. People told the offers are rescinded.

But there also was somebody on staff who was stripping out, at least this is the accusation, stripping out from the honors program people who were identified as sort of liberal or Democrats. That's totally improper to do that. And here, one of the things that's happened, and I know this because I'm now teaching a law school, is summer positions all on hold. People told the offers are rescinded.

The honors program, which is new attorneys, it's a huge, wonderful way for DOJ to get us as a pipeline, the very best and brightest from clerkships. There's going to be somebody close to me that just got frozen on this exact thing. Exactly. Done. Employees who are still in their first year probationary period all put on a list to see who's going to be fired.

The honors program, which is new attorneys, it's a huge, wonderful way for DOJ to get us as a pipeline, the very best and brightest from clerkships. There's going to be somebody close to me that just got frozen on this exact thing. Exactly. Done. Employees who are still in their first year probationary period all put on a list to see who's going to be fired.

The honors program, which is new attorneys, it's a huge, wonderful way for DOJ to get us as a pipeline, the very best and brightest from clerkships. There's going to be somebody close to me that just got frozen on this exact thing. Exactly. Done. Employees who are still in their first year probationary period all put on a list to see who's going to be fired.

The idea then is to really strip out as much as they can the civil service protections to create room for, in my view, it's like a bunch of loyalists.