Andrew Weissmann: Trump's Slush Fund Isn't Just Corrupt—It's a Crime | Illegal News
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Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖The $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization fund" is characterized as a fraudulent scheme to steal taxpayer money, with provisions for an IRS apology and immunity for Trump and his family from future investigations.
- ❖Existing U.S. law does not adequately punish politicians for intentional public lies, a gap exploited by figures like Donald Trump, particularly concerning election fraud claims.
- ❖Andrew Weissmann's book, "Liars Kingdom," advocates for legal reforms, inspired by other democracies and U.S. state laws, to introduce accountability for material political falsehoods that undermine democratic processes.
- ❖Trump's strategic use of language, such as including "peacefully" in his January 6th speech, demonstrates a calculated attempt to create plausible deniability while inciting action.
- ❖The current media environment and declining trust in institutions make the traditional "marketplace of ideas" insufficient to counter political lies, necessitating legal intervention.
Insights
1The "Anti-Weaponization Fund" as a Fraudulent Scheme
The Trump administration's $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization fund" is described as a collusive and fraudulent scheme to appropriate taxpayer money. This fund, ostensibly for victims of a "weaponized DOJ," is seen as a vehicle to pay off Trump's allies, including convicted January 6th insurrectionists, and to grant Trump and his family immunity from future IRS investigations. The Department of Justice's defense of the fund by referencing an Obama-era case is dismissed as invalid, as the prior case dealt with racism victims and was later restricted by Attorney General Sessions.
1776 is the amount of the fraud and theft of money from you and me and everyone who is listening to this from the Trump administration with the complicity of the department of justice in a fraudulent scheme to steal taxpayer money []. The five committee members are appointed by Donald Trump and we've already seen payouts to Carter Page and Michael Flynn. Michael Flynn admitted to a federal judge that he was guilty... But that guy got over a million dollars. []. The government right now is fighting legally saying all of those other people are not entitled to a penny... And yet this is being quote unquote settled for over $1.7 billion. []. Trump will get an a formal apology from the IRS... the US has like no liability whatsoever for protecting the safeguards of the funds, including if there's fraud or misuse of funds... the IRS is not going to come after me or my family anymore. [].
2Trump's Strategic Exploitation of Legal Gaps
Trump has consistently exploited gaps in U.S. law where political lies do not carry legal repercussions. Unlike lying to shareholders, Congress under oath, or banks, lying to the public or during an impeachment from the Oval Office has no criminal or civil penalty. This understanding allows him to choose forums (like Truth Social) where he can disseminate falsehoods without legal consequence, as seen with his claims of election fraud or the "perfect telephone call" during his first impeachment. His inclusion of "peacefully" in the January 6th speech is cited as a deliberate attempt at plausible deniability, despite his overall inciting rhetoric and subsequent actions.
If you are a politician or a candidate for office or you're the attorney general of the United States, if you if you um say things that are false, there are no legal repercussions. []. As one of uh Donald Trump's former campaign managers... said, 'Hey, there's no crime in lying to the public.' []. He knew enough to say that [peacefully]. It's a little bit like um I gave you the story about what he said about me and the Epstein files. Um, I think it was phrased as 'I've heard,' 'many people are saying.' [].
3"Liars Kingdom": Proposing Legal Reforms for Political Lies
Andrew Weissmann's book, "Liars Kingdom," diagnoses the problem of unpunished political lies and proposes systemic reforms. It examines how other democracies (Brazil, Germany, France) and even U.S. states have laws to hold public officials accountable for falsehoods, particularly those undermining election integrity or violating oaths of office. The book argues that while the First Amendment is robust, it doesn't preclude criminalizing intentional, material lies that harm democratic processes, similar to how lies in business or under oath are already punished. Proposed solutions include requiring candidates to certify they haven't made material lies on election forms, making false filings a prosecutable offense.
What's wrong with US law that has allowed Trump to lie so versifouserously... What do other countries do to prevent politicians from lying like Trump? ...what can we learn from what people do abroad and then change our laws here []. In our states... we have state laws that deal with this for state officials. In New York, if you violate your oath of office, if you engage in fraud, you are permanently barred automatically. []. One of them could be to simply change the form so that you have to make aation that you have not made any material lies... easily can be made a crime. In fact, it already would be to a false filing to a federal agency is already on the books as a crime. [].
Lessons
- Contact your elected representatives to express outrage and demand accountability for the alleged misuse of taxpayer funds and the lack of legal consequences for political lies.
- Support legislative efforts to introduce laws that criminalize intentional, material political falsehoods, particularly those related to election outcomes, drawing inspiration from state and international precedents.
- Engage in informed discourse and actively counter misinformation, recognizing that the "marketplace of ideas" alone is insufficient in the current fragmented media environment.
Advocating for Accountability in Political Speech
Educate yourself on existing legal gaps that allow politicians to lie without consequence, and how other democracies address this.
Contact your local and federal representatives, emphasizing the importance of legal accountability for material political lies, especially those undermining elections.
Support or advocate for legislation that requires candidates to certify the truthfulness of their statements on election forms, making false certifications a prosecutable offense.
Demand that politicians demonstrate "sincerity" and channel their public service motivations when addressing issues of corruption and democratic integrity.
Notable Moments
Andrew Weissmann's initial publisher, Norton, pulled out of publishing his book "Liars Kingdom" a day after Trump issued an executive order targeting Jenner & Block, a law firm that had represented Weissmann.
This incident highlights the chilling effect and pressure that political figures can exert on institutions, even publishing houses, underscoring the very themes of accountability and free speech that Weissmann's book addresses.
Quotes
"1776 is the amount of the fraud and theft of money from you and me and everyone who is listening to this from the Trump administration with the complicity of the department of justice in a fraudulent scheme to steal taxpayer money."
"What is the difference between what is happening and they're just going to Fort Knox and taking the gold and using it for whatever purposes personal reasons they want."
"This is hiring people to do that. I mean, it's absolutely um I have a question for you. You are outraged. I am outraged. I You know, so many people are waking up to this outrage."
"Donald Trump has stolen 1.7 billion in taxpayer dollars in taxpayer dollars to pay off his friends who've committed crimes."
"It seems odd that we criminalize lying about your stock but not about your election ballot."
Q&A
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