President-elect Donald Trump's nomination of controversial Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz as attorney general has many people worried that Trump will follow through on his threats to use the Justice Department to exact revenge on his political enemies.
During Trump's first term, the American Civil Liberties Union filed 400 lawsuits challenging his administration’s policies and actions, about half of which succeeded. They're promising to be just as active this time around.
Deirdre Schifeling, the ACLU's Chief Political and Advocacy Officer, joined KNX News’ daily political show Countdown 2024 to talk about the organization’s plans for resistance.
Listen here:
“Trump has made no secret of his desire to weaponize the Department of Justice and use the Department of Justice as a method of revenge against his perceived political enemies,” Schifeling said. “We don’t know what he might do, but we will be prepared with our very deep bench of litigators and our very deep bench of advocates on the state and federal level to resist his attempts to do things that are unlawful or undemocratic.”
While the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling could make litigation against Trump more difficult, Schifeling pointed out that it only applies to the president – the attorney general, chief of staff, and other administration officials aren’t above the law.
“I don't think that that is carte blanche for the president to just do whatever he wants,” she said. “I think that his whole administration will be held accountable for doing things that are undemocratic or illegal.”
She also said that during the first Trump administration, the ACLU’s grassroots supporters tripled. They’re going into his second term with 6.5 million volunteers – and Schifeling believes that when Trump actually puts his policy plans into action, even some of his supporters will oppose them.
“When voters are actually experiencing Donald Trump's actions in their own lives and seeing their friends and neighbors rounded up in workplace raids, or realizing that their own access to birth control or reproductive health care is restricted, we believe they will be ready to resist,” she said.
Listen to the full episode above to hear Marc Goldwein from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget discuss Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency, and catch new episodes of Countdown 2024 every weekday at 2:30 p.m.
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