Anne Applebaum

They don't become a federal judge because they want to enrich the president's family. They do it because they feel some fealty to the constitution. And that system has worked up until now. And now we will see whether this second Trump administration can break it. I would add one other thing, which is that

We know that people who were being asked for promotion and who are being up for promotion inside the Department of Justice, some of them have been asked very political questions. For example, what do you think happened on January 6th? And the right answer, of course, is that, you know, the great American patriots rose up to ensure that the correctly elected president, Donald Trump,

We know that people who were being asked for promotion and who are being up for promotion inside the Department of Justice, some of them have been asked very political questions. For example, what do you think happened on January 6th? And the right answer, of course, is that, you know, the great American patriots rose up to ensure that the correctly elected president, Donald Trump,

We know that people who were being asked for promotion and who are being up for promotion inside the Department of Justice, some of them have been asked very political questions. For example, what do you think happened on January 6th? And the right answer, of course, is that, you know, the great American patriots rose up to ensure that the correctly elected president, Donald Trump,

would remain in office. And people who are unable to say that because, of course, it's not true. And so if you're saying it, you're lying. They're not going to get promoted in Trump's Department of Justice. So we're going to have a very different body of people seeking to enforce the law. And you can already see the results.

would remain in office. And people who are unable to say that because, of course, it's not true. And so if you're saying it, you're lying. They're not going to get promoted in Trump's Department of Justice. So we're going to have a very different body of people seeking to enforce the law. And you can already see the results.

would remain in office. And people who are unable to say that because, of course, it's not true. And so if you're saying it, you're lying. They're not going to get promoted in Trump's Department of Justice. So we're going to have a very different body of people seeking to enforce the law. And you can already see the results.

Yeah, no, he's gonna have to break a lot of institutions. He will have to, I mean, he's seeking to break the Department of Justice right now. He will have to break the FBI, which he's already partway towards doing that by putting, you know, the extreme partisan Kash Patel in charge of it. He may eventually have to break, you know, the federal judicial bench.

Yeah, no, he's gonna have to break a lot of institutions. He will have to, I mean, he's seeking to break the Department of Justice right now. He will have to break the FBI, which he's already partway towards doing that by putting, you know, the extreme partisan Kash Patel in charge of it. He may eventually have to break, you know, the federal judicial bench.

Yeah, no, he's gonna have to break a lot of institutions. He will have to, I mean, he's seeking to break the Department of Justice right now. He will have to break the FBI, which he's already partway towards doing that by putting, you know, the extreme partisan Kash Patel in charge of it. He may eventually have to break, you know, the federal judicial bench.

I mean, these are the people who are in the judges in our in our political system at the federal level are all people. I mean, including maybe even especially the conservatives. are all people who have made the Constitution a kind of fetish.

I mean, these are the people who are in the judges in our in our political system at the federal level are all people. I mean, including maybe even especially the conservatives. are all people who have made the Constitution a kind of fetish.

I mean, these are the people who are in the judges in our in our political system at the federal level are all people. I mean, including maybe even especially the conservatives. are all people who have made the Constitution a kind of fetish.

These are often constitutional originalists, people whose theory of the judiciary is that we should hew as closely as possible to the letter and the spirit of the law as it was written in the 18th century. So he will have to either defy all of those people or find some way of getting around them or find some way of intimidating them if he is to continue.

These are often constitutional originalists, people whose theory of the judiciary is that we should hew as closely as possible to the letter and the spirit of the law as it was written in the 18th century. So he will have to either defy all of those people or find some way of getting around them or find some way of intimidating them if he is to continue.

These are often constitutional originalists, people whose theory of the judiciary is that we should hew as closely as possible to the letter and the spirit of the law as it was written in the 18th century. So he will have to either defy all of those people or find some way of getting around them or find some way of intimidating them if he is to continue.

So you're right, this creates an enormous interest that he has and many of the people around him have, to continue breaking and subjugating those institutions. Plus, there's a whole host of other. Anybody whose job is transparency, that includes journalists, that includes investigative groups, the consortia of journalists and NGOs who've been created over the years to do investigative reporting.

So you're right, this creates an enormous interest that he has and many of the people around him have, to continue breaking and subjugating those institutions. Plus, there's a whole host of other. Anybody whose job is transparency, that includes journalists, that includes investigative groups, the consortia of journalists and NGOs who've been created over the years to do investigative reporting.

So you're right, this creates an enormous interest that he has and many of the people around him have, to continue breaking and subjugating those institutions. Plus, there's a whole host of other. Anybody whose job is transparency, that includes journalists, that includes investigative groups, the consortia of journalists and NGOs who've been created over the years to do investigative reporting.

A lot of those are going to become targets, and some already have been. You know, either targets of smear campaigns on Twitter or maybe maybe they will even be investigated by the administration itself. All of those things, those transparency bodies, those legal bodies, all of them will have to be somehow pushed out of the way if this accumulation of funds is to continue.