Today’s link is easy, just a one minute video clip of a former Justice Department official giving his opinion of the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling. Before you watch it, here are a few things to know about the official. Please don’t stop after the first one or two.
He’s friends with James Comey. He served as his Chief of Staff when Comey was Deputy Attorney General during the George W. Bush administration.
He is not friends with Donald Trump. He resigned as Acting Administrator of the DEA under Trump due to Trump’s rhetoric on police treatment of criminal suspects.
Neither of the above has ever appeared to have any bearing on the official’s legal analysis. Not only do I believe that. I can prove it.
Here is his column on Judge Cannon’s appointment of a special master to the Trump documents case, a decision derided by many pundits on the left and in the middle.
Here is his column in which he criticizes the Democrat-run House Ways and Means Committee for releasing Trump’s tax returns in 2023.
Here is a clip of him defending Special Counsel Robert Hur, who investigated Joe Biden’s possession of classified documents, against charges of partisanship for his unflattering description of his interviews with the president.
So the official is not a partisan. He has no dog in this fight except an honest accounting of the ruling. And while others can certainly give an honest accounting that contradicts him, their arguments are currently being overshadowed by the louder voices on their side. If they weren’t, I’d be linking to them here today.
So, as the official puts it, it’s the “lonely middle” for us this Wednesday. Hopefully he’s right in his analysis, and hopefully that analysis can provide some solace for those troubled by the decision.