Benjamin Wittes

We think we have the backstory as how the National Security Advisor put a reporter on that group, but we still don't know why. There was so much ease with which the secretary of defense shared what was classified information on that. We're still waiting for those hearings. We're still waiting for that investigation.

We know that Donald Trump fired so many inspector generals that it is slowing down investigations that would really be sort of routine. I mean, the fact of the matter is there's always issues that the government has to figure out what went wrong.

We know that Donald Trump fired so many inspector generals that it is slowing down investigations that would really be sort of routine. I mean, the fact of the matter is there's always issues that the government has to figure out what went wrong.

We know that Donald Trump fired so many inspector generals that it is slowing down investigations that would really be sort of routine. I mean, the fact of the matter is there's always issues that the government has to figure out what went wrong.

So Bob Gates, the former secretary of defense for George W. Bush and Barack Obama, once said once said that he tells presidents that on any given day, somebody is fucking up. And pardon my French there in your name, Mr. President. And he has said that to President Bush and he has said that to President Obama, meaning the federal government is so big.

So Bob Gates, the former secretary of defense for George W. Bush and Barack Obama, once said once said that he tells presidents that on any given day, somebody is fucking up. And pardon my French there in your name, Mr. President. And he has said that to President Bush and he has said that to President Obama, meaning the federal government is so big.

So Bob Gates, the former secretary of defense for George W. Bush and Barack Obama, once said once said that he tells presidents that on any given day, somebody is fucking up. And pardon my French there in your name, Mr. President. And he has said that to President Bush and he has said that to President Obama, meaning the federal government is so big.

That no matter how well it is run, how efficient things are, there is somebody making a mistake in your name, causing you at a minimum a political problem and a maximum a policy problem that impacts the public. And yet we seem to be almost paralyzed in our ability to. to deal in totality everything that's going on.

That no matter how well it is run, how efficient things are, there is somebody making a mistake in your name, causing you at a minimum a political problem and a maximum a policy problem that impacts the public. And yet we seem to be almost paralyzed in our ability to. to deal in totality everything that's going on.

That no matter how well it is run, how efficient things are, there is somebody making a mistake in your name, causing you at a minimum a political problem and a maximum a policy problem that impacts the public. And yet we seem to be almost paralyzed in our ability to. to deal in totality everything that's going on.

In many ways, I would argue the first 90 days of Donald Trump have been like demolition man, right? He is just trying to demolish norms all over the place. He is trying to, he is forcing the judiciary branch and trying to see how much executive power he can get the judiciary to essentially approve of or not stop.

In many ways, I would argue the first 90 days of Donald Trump have been like demolition man, right? He is just trying to demolish norms all over the place. He is trying to, he is forcing the judiciary branch and trying to see how much executive power he can get the judiciary to essentially approve of or not stop.

In many ways, I would argue the first 90 days of Donald Trump have been like demolition man, right? He is just trying to demolish norms all over the place. He is trying to, he is forcing the judiciary branch and trying to see how much executive power he can get the judiciary to essentially approve of or not stop.

And the way any administration works – this is why this is such a dangerous period in the history of this country because if this judiciary essentially allows some of these things to go, they become precedent. And what happens is future presidents take whatever minimum they have and then push even further. So this is why we're sitting here with –

And the way any administration works – this is why this is such a dangerous period in the history of this country because if this judiciary essentially allows some of these things to go, they become precedent. And what happens is future presidents take whatever minimum they have and then push even further. So this is why we're sitting here with –

And the way any administration works – this is why this is such a dangerous period in the history of this country because if this judiciary essentially allows some of these things to go, they become precedent. And what happens is future presidents take whatever minimum they have and then push even further. So this is why we're sitting here with –

Essentially vulnerable to one individual's belief on how the economy should work rather than having Congress make these decisions on tariffs. We're sitting here because the congressional branch handed all this power to the executive branch. It went back to not arguably this started with 9-11.

Essentially vulnerable to one individual's belief on how the economy should work rather than having Congress make these decisions on tariffs. We're sitting here because the congressional branch handed all this power to the executive branch. It went back to not arguably this started with 9-11.

Essentially vulnerable to one individual's belief on how the economy should work rather than having Congress make these decisions on tariffs. We're sitting here because the congressional branch handed all this power to the executive branch. It went back to not arguably this started with 9-11.

Actually, it started before then when more trade authority was being handed to the Clinton administration. Then 9-11, more national security authority got handed the executive branch. With Barack Obama, his party had full control of the trifecta. He got handed more executive power. Donald Trump grabbed more executive power the first term.