'Stand your ground, or you're caving': Weissmann reacts to Trump's attacks on rule of law - Velshi - The Last Word MSNBC

[Rhiannon12866]

Fmr. FBI General Counsel and MSNBC Legal Analyst, Andrew Weissmann, joins MSNBC's Ali Velshi to discuss Donald Trump's attempts to have a “chilling effect” on judges, courts, and law firms with his repeated attacks on the rule of law including a ranting, politicized speech at the DOJ. - Aired on 03/14/2025.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

1. I got off the internet to veg out on MSNBC. I was shocked when I heard about Paul Weiss

I have been in a number of deals with this firm over my career. This firm has a great corporate group and some great attorneys. I was shocked when I heard that this firm was attacked by trump. The fact that trump is attacking this firm shocked me.

Link to tweet

This link has a unlocked copy of the NYT article
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/14/us/politics/trump-law-firm.html?unlocked_article_code=1.4E4.8dnc.1DZH5ubWUIGw&smid=tw-share

President Trump on Friday opened a third attack against a private law firm, restricting the business activities of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison just days after a federal judge ruled such measures appeared to violate the Constitution.

The president signed an executive order to suspend security clearances held by people at the firm, pending a review of whether such clearances are consistent with the national interest. The order also seeks to sharply limit Paul, Weiss employees from entering government buildings, getting government jobs or receiving any money from federal contracts.

The move widened an assault by Mr. Trump on some of nation’s most prominent law firms. Legal experts have warned the aggressive campaign sets a dangerous precedent that threatens not just the ability of lawyers to do their jobs, but also the ability of private citizens to obtain lawyers to represent them.

The order said it was intended to end “government sponsorship of harmful activity” at Paul, Weiss and specifically punish one of its former lawyers, Mark F. Pomerantz.

Mr. Trump mentioned Mr. Pomerantz by name in an angry speech Friday at the Justice Department, where he complained about prosecutors and private lawyers who pursued cases against him, calling them “really bad people.” Mr. Trump, in the same speech, claimed he was ending the “weaponization” of the Justice Department, though his move against the firm showed he will continue using his power to exact retribution on his opponents.

Mr. Pomerantz had tried to build a criminal case against Mr. Trump several years ago when he worked at the Manhattan district attorney’s office. The White House announcement called Mr. Pomerantz “an unethical lawyer” who tried to “manufacture a prosecution against President Trump.”

Pomerantz is evidently no long at this firm but trump wants to punish this firm anyway.

This is the same punishment used on Perkins Coie that was struck down earlier. This executive order should be struck down.

[Rhiannon12866]

2. I agree that he's shooting himself in the foot going after law firms and respectable attorneys! How is this legal, anyway?

And considering all the legal charges that he's constantly facing, how does he know when he's going to need more legal representation?? Didn't several of his previous lawyers (Giuliani) get disbarred and didn't he appoint the ones he was using to his current DOJ?? Plus we know that he goes through those he appoints constantly. Who knows when he's going to run out of friends of relatives or those he's seen on TV??