Trump caves to pushback again; another humiliation in court
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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Okay. I'm about to ask you a question that you probably think you know the answer to. Did you hear the story about how the Trump administration dropped its super controversial subpoena? How the Trump administration completely embarrassed itself in court and had to walk it all back? Now, if you've been following the news today, which you probably have, you might be tempted to answer that question with, yeah, Jen, I think I have heard that story. I know the one you're talking about. but don't be so sure you've heard it all. Because if someone asks you, did you hear about Donald Trump's embarrassing subpoena fail? The only correct response to that question is, which one? Which embarrassing subpoena fail are you talking about?
Because somehow there are so many stories in the news recently that fit that very specific description. I mean, for instance, there was this headline today in the New York Times, quote, Trump administration drops subpoena demanding list of Jews from Penn. Yeah, you heard that correctly.
Which recent Trump subpoena withdrawals left the administration embarrassed?
I'm literally reading from the headline in The New York Times. The Trump administration had to drop its subpoena for a list of Jews. Now, you see, the backstory here is that last year when Donald Trump launched his campaign to target America's colleges and universities, Trump's Equal Employment Opportunity Commission had the great old idea of sending a subpoena to the University of Pennsylvania. And that subpoena demanded membership rosters of, quote, all clubs, groups, organizations, and recreation groups that were related to the Jewish religion, faith, ancestry, and national origin. Yep. Now the University of Pennsylvania rightfully fought back. They noted in their response that the Trump administration had entirely disregarded the frightening and well-documented history of governmental entities that undertook efforts to identify and assemble information regarding persons of Jewish ancestry.
You don't say. And so today, the Trump administration, they quietly withdrew that subpoena. Maybe they realized it wasn't a great look to be issuing subpoenas that sound like they may have been drafted in Germany in the 1930s. Maybe. They don't usually have that much moral clarity, though. So maybe they simply realized they were going to lose in court. Who knows? Now, you might be thinking to yourself, okay, okay, you got me. I thought you were talking about the Trump administration's other subpoena fail, the one where they tried to subpoena journalists. But that still begs the question, which one? Because the Trump administration has had several recent embarrassing walkbacks that fit that even more specific description.
Just last month, the New York Times reported that the Justice Department withdrew several subpoenas that would have forced reporters from The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post to testify before a federal grand jury. And people familiar with the matter told The Times that the Justice Department had sought information from three reporters at The Wall Street Journal about an article detailing how top officials warned Mr. Trump of the risks of a major military campaign against Iran. It also sought information from a reporter at The Washington Post about reporting related to U.S. military action in Venezuela. But the Justice Department, they backed down after the news organizations fought them in sealed filings.
The Trump administration is waging a campaign targeting journalists and their sources in their hunt for leakers at the White House. But it's clear those efforts are failing as media organizations are starting to stand up more and more and more and push back more and more and more. Which brings me to the Trump administration's other big subpoena fail, the one you probably have heard about. Because today the Department of Justice withdrew its subpoenas to several New York Times journalists who reported on the security issues plaguing Trump's Qatari gift plane.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–1:11
2
Which recent Trump subpoena withdrawals left the administration embarrassed?
1:11–5:39
3
Why did the EEOC subpoena request Penn’s Jewish club rosters and why was it withdrawn?
5:39–15:59
4
How did DOJ subpoenas targeting journalists over the Qatari jet reporting unravel in court?
15:59–42:22
Speakers
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