0:00
/
0:00
Preview

WATCH: The Department of Injustice

Journalists Carol Leonnig and Aaron C. Davis on Minneapolis, how Donald Trump traded the rule of law for a strategy of retribution, and the judges and attorneys who are fighting back

We talked live this afternoon with Carol Leonnig and Aaron C. Davis, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists who are the co-authors of our January Book Club selection, Injustice: How Politics and Fear Vanquished America’s Justice Department. As we wrap up our reading of the book, we talked about what’s going on on the streets of Minneapolis and in the courts, how the dismantling of the rule of law under Donald Trump’s first administration led us to ICE’s campaign of impunity, and how courts, U.S. Attorney’s offices, and state attorneys generals are still working to uphold the rule of law. Leonnig and Davis also talked to us about:

  • How Donald Trump exploited the fact that a nation of laws requires honest people to uphold and enforce those laws

  • The importance of eyewitness video in understanding events in real time

  • How Minnesota District Court Judge Patrick J. Schiltz — a George W. Bush appointee — became a standard-bearer for the rule of law

  • Why even some Republicans who’ve gone along with Trump’s dismantling of the rule of law are now saying that they’ve had enough

  • What Democrats can do to reestablish the rule of law — if they win Congress in the midterms

  • And how what’s gone so wrong in Minneapolis and elsewhere has nothing to do with cameras or training, but with how people in DHS, DOJ, FBI, and other agencies have been directed to ignore their longstanding policies, and the law itself

You won’t want to miss any of it. Just click on the video player above to watch the entire conversation.

Share

Leave a comment


We’re making a preview of this conversation open to all. If you want to watch the whole thing, we invite you to become a supporting subscriber, which includes membership in the Book Club and access to our discussion guides, group chats, and live discussions.

Your support is how we keep the lights on, pay our writers and editors a fair wage, and build the new media we all deserve. When you subscribe, you help us reach more people.

Join us today, or if you are already a member, give a gift or group subscription.

Give a gift subscription

Get 20% off a group subscription


How to participate in the Book Club

We’ll post questions — our discussion guide — every Sunday, and every other Wednesday we’ll meet for a discussion with the Club or a visit from an author or other special guest. Look out for posts with further details. We’ll also host chat threads to get your insight on key questions in advance of our meetings.

To participate in our meetings and author talks on Substack Live, join from your phone or tablet with the Substack app. You can watch on desktop at The Ink, and comment and ask questions in our chat, but you won’t be able to join the live video discussion. Book Club meetings are open to paid subscribers to The Ink, so if you haven’t become part of our community, please join us today.

Get more from Anand Giridharadas in the Substack app
Available for iOS and Android

This post is for paid subscribers