On Presidents Day, Understanding The Evolution Of The Office Itself
On Presidents Day, taking stock of the evolution of the office itself. What has the presidency become? Where is it headed? What does it say about us?
Guests
Barbara Perry, director of presidential studies at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center. (@BarbaraPerryUVA)
Saikrishna Prakash, law professor at the University of Virginia’s School of Law. (@UVALaw)
Jon Michaels, law professor at UCLA’s School of Law. (@JonDMichaels)
From The Reading List
The New York Times: “William Barr Moves to Take the Reins of Politically Charged Cases” — “While Attorney General William Barr asserted his independence from the White House this week, he has also been quietly intervening in a series of politically charged cases, including against Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, people familiar with the matter said Friday.
“Barr installed a phalanx of outside lawyers to reexamine national security cases with the possibility of overruling career prosecutors, a highly unusual move that could prompt more accusations of Justice Department politicization. The case against Flynn, who twice pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in the Russia investigation, is a cause célèbre for Trump and his supporters, who say the retired general was ensnared in a ‘deep state’ plot against the president.
“The disclosures came as Trump made clear Friday that he believes he has free rein over the Justice Department and its cases, rejecting Barr’s public demand of a day earlier that the president stop commenting on such cases.”
The Washington Post: “The Republican Senate just rebuked Trump using the War Powers Act — for the third time. That’s remarkable.” — “In a bipartisan rebuke of President Trump on Thursday, a Senate majority voted 55 to 45 to block the president from taking further military action against Iran — unless first authorized by Congress.
“Eight GOP senators joined every Democrat to protest the president’s decision to kill a top Iranian commander without complying with the War Powers Resolution of 1973.
“The Democratic House will no doubt agree to the Senate’s resolution and send it up to the White House. But President Trump has already promised a veto, and supporters of the resolution lack the two-thirds vote in both chambers required to override.”
The Washington Post: “Opinion: Trump’s authoritarian style is remaking America” — “Over the course of his presidency, there have been myriad warnings about President Trump’s authoritarian tendencies. He has played to the fears of his critics by blowing past the republic’s increasingly creaky system of checks and balances.
“And with the aid of a right-wing echo chamber, he has pushed forward a narrative that conflates national interest with his personal gain, patriotism with unflinching loyalty to the occupant of the Oval Office.
“As Trump embarks on a reelection campaign and basks in the aftermath of the Senate impeachment trial — in which, thanks to a Republican Party wholly captured by Trumpism, acquittal was seemingly always a fait accompli — he is adding to the strains on America’s polarized democracy. His calls this week for prosecutions of his perceived enemies and public attacks on federal judges and prosecutors involved in cases against his allies were so abnormal that it led to an unlikely rebuke from Attorney General William P. Barr, a Cabinet official largely viewed by Trump’s opponents as shamefully acquiescent.”
This article was originally published on WBUR.org. [Copyright 2020 NPR]
