Trump’s Half-Baked Border Plan Collides With Legal Reality (w/ Andrew Weissmann) | Illegal News

A DC district court judge, Judge Boseberg, quashed two grand jury subpoenas issued to the Federal Reserve concerning Jerome Powell. The judge found the investigation to be a pretextual harassment campaign, directly referencing numerous public statements by the President criticizing Powell and seeking his removal. The legal standard for a grand jury subpoena is very low (good faith and legitimate purpose), but harassment is a recognized exception.

Judge Boseberg cited the President's statements, including 'he is too late and actually too angry, too stupid, and too political to have the job of Fed chair,' and analogized the situation to Henry II's 'will no one rid me of this troublesome priest.'

The Trump administration's strategy to federalize land near the southern border and charge immigrants with misdemeanor trespassing is largely failing. Judges are consistently throwing out these cases because prosecutors cannot prove the essential element of the crime: that individuals knew they were trespassing on federal land with intent to do so. This creates an unnecessary burden on the legal system without achieving its stated goals.

Judges are asking federal prosecutors for proof of intent, which is often absent due to sporadic and unclear signage. Prosecutors admit they are 'not allowed not to' bring these cases, despite the lack of evidence.

The Supreme Court has granted 'cert' in two cases challenging the Trump administration's revocation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for immigrants from countries like Haiti and Syria. TPS allows individuals from disaster-stricken nations to live and work legally in the U.S. The lawsuits argue that the administration's arbitrary revocation, without proper administrative procedures or due process, is illegal. Lower courts have issued stays, preventing immediate deportations.

Judge Reyes's opening statement in one case contrasted George Washington's welcoming vision with Secretary Gnome's 'full travel ban on every damn country that's been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies,' highlighting the administration's discriminatory intent. TPS holders contribute billions in taxes and are vetted to exclude felons or those with multiple misdemeanors.

The ongoing drug trafficking case against Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro and the federal government's continued possession of Fulton County's 2020 election ballots present potential avenues for the Trump administration to 'gin up' false claims of 2020 election fraud. Maduro, facing severe charges, might be pressured to 'confess' to election interference in exchange for a deal. Similarly, control over the Fulton County ballots could be used to support fabricated fraud narratives for future elections.

Trump's consistent claims of a 'stolen' 2020 election and his past attempts to pressure officials (like Zelensky) to 'investigate' political opponents. The government has 'huge leverage' in the Maduro case. The Fulton County ballots are the 'only copy' and remain in federal hands despite a failed mediation attempt to return them.