Main Justice is the next era of legal analysis from Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord, the veteran lawyers behind the hit podcast Prosecuting Donald Trump. As th...
A week into the second iteration of Donald Trump’s White House, hosts Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord take stock of the abrupt and unrelenting changes to our federal government. Andrew points to security details yanked and security clearances revoked as blatant retaliation against Trump’s perceived foes. Mary highlights several judges who are pushing back against blanket pardons for J6 convictions. Then, they turn to Trump’s executive action on birthright citizenship, reviewing several challenges already in motion, including a case brought by Mary and her ICAP team. And before wrapping up, our two resident career litigators look at the withering independence of the Justice Department from the White House, and how all roads lead through the DOJ.Further reading: Here is the New York Times’ piece on Kash Patel that Andrew mentioned in this episode: F.B.I. Pick Pushed False and Misleading Claims About Trump InvestigationsWant to listen to this show without ads? Sign up for MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts.
--------
50:56
Listen to “Trumpland with Alex Wagner”
Introducing “Trumpland with Alex Wagner.” On “Trumpland,” MSNBC’s Alex Wagner takes a break from the anchor chair to get out into the field and speak with the people on the frontlines of Trump’s policies—and promises. Listen to the full first episode here, as Alex travels to DC—but not for the inauguration. Hours after President Trump was in sworn into office for the second time, he began issuing a series of presidential pardons for the January 6th insurrection. Listen along as Alex speaks to the inmates, their families, and the police officers who survived one of the most violent attacks on the Capitol in our nation’s history. Catch new episodes of “Trumpland with Alex Wagner” on Thursday evenings during Trump’s first 100 days. You can find the show in the “Alex Wagner Tonight” feed. Remember to follow the show so you don’t miss a single episode. And sign up for MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen without ads.
--------
33:25
Project 2025 in Action
Within hours of Donald Trump’s inauguration, numerous executive actions were signed and over 1500 pardons were issued for nearly all of the January 6th defendants, despite his vice president and attorney general nominee suggesting a more refined approach. So, on this first full day of Trump’s second term, hosts Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord review the blunt nature of these pardons, especially for those convicted of violent acts that day. Then they turn to pardons issued by President Biden in his final hours in office to shield those targeted by Trump for retribution- including members of Congress, those who testified in the J6 investigation, and members of his own family. And finally, Mary and Andrew dive into the myriad of executive actions signed by Trump as legal challenges begin to mount around things like getting rid of birthright citizenship, using the military domestically at our border, undoing the TikTok ban and the creation of DOGE.Further reading: Here is Mary’s recent write up in the Atlantic: A Sweeping January 6 Pardon Is an Attack on the JudiciaryWant to listen to this show without ads? Sign up for MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts.
--------
50:24
Postmortem
While this podcast’s name has changed, this week’s episode revolves around all things prosecuting Donald Trump. After a detailed review of Judge Juan Merchan’s reasoning and limitations for sentencing the president-elect after his New York criminal conviction, veteran prosecutors Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord wind through the barrage of motions in Florida to block the release of both volumes of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s final report. After underscoring why Volume Two-- concerning the now dismissed classified documents case-- is still under wraps, they dig into the finer points of Volume One, released to the public at 1:00 a.m. Tuesday morning. This first volume lays out the facts and the law as it relates to Trump’s DC election interference case which has also been dismissed, though Smith writes, "but for Mr. Trump's election and imminent return to the Presidency, the Office assessed that the admissible evidence was sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction at trial."Further reading: Here is Volume One of Jack Smith’s final report.Want to listen to this show without ads? Sign up for MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts.
--------
56:34
Full Audio of Donald Trump's NY Sentencing
In a Manhattan courtroom on Friday January 10th 2025, president-elect Donald Trump was sentenced in his New York hush money case after being convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records. The Judge in the case, Juan Merchan, elected to unconditionally discharge Trump, meaning he’ll receive no further penalties. Once sworn in on January 20th, Trump will be first convicted felon to occupy the White House.
Main Justice is the next era of legal analysis from Andrew Weissmann and Mary McCord, the veteran lawyers behind the hit podcast Prosecuting Donald Trump. As the criminal cases against Trump wind down and his new administration comes to power, Andrew and Mary draw on their extensive experience working within the Department of Justice to break down what’s happening inside Trump’s DOJ. Each week, they use their platform on Main Justice to safeguard against assaults on our laws, our Constitution, and our democracy.
UK