Stephen A. Smith

Now, some of them will be brave and some of them will say, I'm doing my job and I don't care. And then they'll get fired. But a lot of people say, if this is the way the game is played, I know that being competent, being good at my job is not important. I simply have to be a sycophant and a loyalist to Trump. I'm going to do that and I'm not going to focus on actually running this place well.

That will weaken us all across the board and certainly at the Pentagon. So – Look, Donald Trump is attempting an authoritarian takeover of our country. I was with a group last night of more Silicon Valley-like people, defense industry folks, and talking about this. And they were attempting to argue, well, we're going to say – I'm like, no. This is what's happening.

That will weaken us all across the board and certainly at the Pentagon. So – Look, Donald Trump is attempting an authoritarian takeover of our country. I was with a group last night of more Silicon Valley-like people, defense industry folks, and talking about this. And they were attempting to argue, well, we're going to say – I'm like, no. This is what's happening.

I mean they fired someone at the Justice Department for not giving Mel Gibson back his gun rights. Yeah, that seems wrong. It's not just wrong. Yeah. It is an authoritarian takeover of the government. It's saying, no, no, no, no, no. Justice Department, DOD, NIH, I don't care who you are. You do not work for the American people. You do not work to uphold the laws of the Constitution.

I mean they fired someone at the Justice Department for not giving Mel Gibson back his gun rights. Yeah, that seems wrong. It's not just wrong. Yeah. It is an authoritarian takeover of the government. It's saying, no, no, no, no, no. Justice Department, DOD, NIH, I don't care who you are. You do not work for the American people. You do not work to uphold the laws of the Constitution.

You work for Donald Trump and you will do what Donald Trump tells you to do when he tells you to do it or you will be gone. That is an authoritarian takeover of our government. And we ought to call it that. Now, I think we got to be intelligent about how we do that.

You work for Donald Trump and you will do what Donald Trump tells you to do when he tells you to do it or you will be gone. That is an authoritarian takeover of our government. And we ought to call it that. Now, I think we got to be intelligent about how we do that.

And simply, you know, running around with our hair on fire and screaming about it and yelling at people isn't necessarily the most effective way to do that. Yeah. But we should be 100 percent clear eyed about what we're dealing with.

And simply, you know, running around with our hair on fire and screaming about it and yelling at people isn't necessarily the most effective way to do that. Yeah. But we should be 100 percent clear eyed about what we're dealing with.

I know Mike Flynn, yeah. I knew him before everyone knew who he was.

I know Mike Flynn, yeah. I knew him before everyone knew who he was.

I mean, they don't do a great – well, they have influence over the curriculum, over how the Air Force Academy is run, over how West Point is run. And so they are going to be pitching their unique right-wing ideology and also – Back to the point I just made earlier, they're going to be making sure that everyone's loyal to Trump and Trump's agenda first, last and then always.

I mean, they don't do a great – well, they have influence over the curriculum, over how the Air Force Academy is run, over how West Point is run. And so they are going to be pitching their unique right-wing ideology and also – Back to the point I just made earlier, they're going to be making sure that everyone's loyal to Trump and Trump's agenda first, last and then always.

And that's what their focus is going to be. It's going to be to put forward Trump's right wing agenda. But again, agenda aside, it's going to be about loyalty to Trump, not trying to actually accomplish something for the American people. So, yeah, that's one of many aspects to it.

And that's what their focus is going to be. It's going to be to put forward Trump's right wing agenda. But again, agenda aside, it's going to be about loyalty to Trump, not trying to actually accomplish something for the American people. So, yeah, that's one of many aspects to it.

And also on the authoritarian takeover part, can we please stop having people write articles about, well, Trump hasn't actually pushed a constitutional crisis yet because he hasn't actually defied the courts. Yes, he has. He's repeatedly defied the courts. Now, the courts have not yet taken the next logical step in that situation, and that is to sanction.

And also on the authoritarian takeover part, can we please stop having people write articles about, well, Trump hasn't actually pushed a constitutional crisis yet because he hasn't actually defied the courts. Yes, he has. He's repeatedly defied the courts. Now, the courts have not yet taken the next logical step in that situation, and that is to sanction.

the Trump administration people, because that's the way I'm an attorney. I never practiced that much, but I went to law school. So I have vague ideas about the stuff I prosecuted briefly for the city of Seattle. And the way it works is if you defy the judge, the next step is sanctions. Go to jail, get fined. Contempt. Contempt. Exactly.

the Trump administration people, because that's the way I'm an attorney. I never practiced that much, but I went to law school. So I have vague ideas about the stuff I prosecuted briefly for the city of Seattle. And the way it works is if you defy the judge, the next step is sanctions. Go to jail, get fined. Contempt. Contempt. Exactly.

They've defied probably at least a couple dozen different court orders at this point. Now, the courts, I think rightfully so, are reluctant to step in and pick this rather monumental fight. So they keep holding out hope that, well – They're taking their time, but eventually they'll comply. You got John Roberts putting out statements trying to calm Trump down. Please comply. Right, right.