The Death Of The Justice Department with Judge Michael Luttig

**Al Hunt** (0:09)
Hello and welcome to Politics War Room with James Carville and Al Hunt. This week, our guests are former judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, Michael Luttig, and the candidate for Congress in the 11th district in North Carolina, Jamie Ager. Now remember, we love taking your questions, so write to politicswarroom.gmail.com for next week's show. We'll get to as many as we can, but don't forget to tell us where you're from. You can also get text updates about what's next for Politicon and Politics War Room by signing up at politicon.com. Now tell your friends about us and remind them to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And please check out the links to our sponsors, Smalls, Aqua True, Miracle Made, and Hers WL in our episode Show Notes. We really thank you for supporting these sponsors and helps make this podcast happen. And don't forget to click on the link at the top of the Show Notes to vote on which of the current Trump high officials the founding fathers would have sent back to England. Just go to our Show Notes and you'll see a link at the top.
Hey James, our guest is Michael Luttig, a legendary former federal judge, a bona fide conservative who has spent the last six years trying to champion the rule of law and warn of the perils that it faces. Your presence elevates us, Judge, so thank you.
Let me start off by saying that you and 34 other former federal judges, I'm going to take just a minute to set this up. Republicans and Democrats, in an unusual mood, urge a sitting judge, Kathleen Williams, to open the extraordinary agreement Acting Attorney General Blanche crafted when Trump dropped a dubious suit against the IRS.
He gave Trump then a 1.8 million billion slush fund to reward allies that he thinks were unfairly charged. Moreover, the IRS was barred from looking at any of Trump or his family's current or past returns. Judge Williams has ordered Trump's lawyers to respond to your motion. If Judge Williams reopens that case, Judge, does she have the authority, the power to void Blanche's whole agreement, the slush fund and the tax immunity for Trump?

**Michael Luttig** (2:41)
Yes, she does, Al, because it was a single settlement that incorporated not just the fund, but also the immunity from audit. Now, once she does that, if she does it, then the president would still be free to cut a deal with the IRS to avoid further audits. But that would not be part of this particular settlement. Obviously, this was one of the most corrupt things that this president has done, and that's saying something. But it's more than just a single incident. This was the culmination, Al, of this man's tenure since January 6, 2021
He rolled up everything that he said fraudulently to the American people into this single, final, corrupt act by which he attempted to compensate himself and his family and his allies and supporters on January 6, 2021
That's why this has hit harder than anything he's ever done. The American people understood this instantly as a corrupt act by the President of the United States to compensate himself and his family at the expense of the taxpayers.

**Al Hunt** (4:27)
Judge, do you know of any other time where as many as 35 judges, Republicans and Democrats petitioned a judge to reopen a case?

**Michael Luttig** (4:36)
No, of course not. There's been nothing like this in all of American history. Al, and by this, I mean anything that Donald Trump has done and any consequence that has been brought on by what he's done. But turning to the courts, on his first day in office, Donald Trump declared war on the federal judiciary, the Constitution and the rule of law. And he's waged that war with a vengeance for the past 18 months.
He had to delegitimize not just the federal courts, but the law itself in the eyes of the American people, Al, if he ever was going to succeed in this presidency. As I said at the time that Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Jay Powell, stood down the President of the United States in January or February, that was the beginning of the end of this presidency.
Now, I can say today that because he has lost his war on the federal judiciary, the Constitution, and the rule of law, we are now witnessing truly the beginning of the end of this presidency.

**Al Hunt** (6:02)
Judge, you have been very critical of Todd Blanche. I ain't calling him a cipher, basically. He's been nominated to be Attorney General. Should he be rejected or confirmed?