Was Donald Trump wrong to sound off on the Roger Stone trial? Is Attorney General William Barr hopelessly compromised? What are the limits of presidential intervention in the Justice Department? Richard Epstein answers these questions and more in the newest installment of The Libertarian.

Subscribe to The Libertarian in Apple Podcasts (and leave a 5-star review, please!), or by RSS feed. For all our podcasts in one place, subscribe to the Ricochet Audio Network Superfeed in Apple Podcasts or by RSS feed.

There are 4 comments.

Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.
  1. Taras Coolidge
    Taras
    @Taras

    Judging President Trump’s actions — well, actually, his tweets — Prof. Epstein seems to forget one thing:  unlike Epstein, Donald Trump is not a top-level lawyer with a half-century of experience under his belt.

    Conversely, unlike Trump, Prof. Epstein is not a top-level media manipulator with a half-century of experience under his belt.

    A lawyer like Epstein, concentrating on just the legal system, arguably can’t see the forest for the trees.  

    Like poor Ken Starr, who thought he could ignore what the public was being told while he would win in court, belatedly realizing that the Democratic media campaign against him had poisoned the jury pool.

    • #1
  2. Leslie Watkins Inactive
    Leslie Watkins
    @LeslieWatkins

    If Trump loses Barr it’s totally his fault and will stunt him politically. My hope is that Trump knows that and that he and Barr will come to a meeting of the minds (whatever words are flying about).

    • #2
  3. Taras Coolidge
    Taras
    @Taras

    Leslie Watkins (View Comment):

    If Trump loses Barr it’s totally his fault and will stunt him politically. My hope is that Trump knows that and that he and Barr will come to a meeting of the minds (whatever words are flying about).

    Realistically?  A two-days’ wonder.

    I’m guessing Trump will replace Barr after the election.

    “Impossible to do my job” — a childish exaggeration.  “More difficult”, yes.

    • #3
  4. Leslie Watkins Inactive
    Leslie Watkins
    @LeslieWatkins

    Taras (View Comment):

    Leslie Watkins (View Comment):

    If Trump loses Barr it’s totally his fault and will stunt him politically. My hope is that Trump knows that and that he and Barr will come to a meeting of the minds (whatever words are flying about).

    Realistically? A two-days’ wonder.

    I’m guessing Trump will replace Barr after the election.

    “Impossible to do my job” — a childish exaggeration. “More difficult”, yes.

    In this case, Taras, we apparently disagree. Barr is the best thing to happen to this administration as far as I’m concerned. No doubt someone else could do as well as Barr (and if Trump gets someone else later, that’s his business), but why risk losing all the pluses he brings just to vent? (The president is winning, after all, but there’s more to it than just Trump being Trump.)  Trump’s tweets on the Stone adjudication were highly detrimental to his own cause because they left it open to interpretation that the fix was in. Something like that does make it impossible for a lawyer to do his job if the job is to win, and of course it is.

    • #4
Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.