Updates | The Week of July 31, 2017
Eve Levin // 8/6/17 //
Chief of Staff Reince Priebus has resigned and will be replaced by the Secretary of Homeland Security, John F. Kelly (NYT).
- This promotion will be a disaster for immigrants, argues Julianne Hing at the Nation.
President Trump’s Twitter usage continues to prompt commentary on its relationship to the rule of law.
- A tweet is a direct order, argues Phillip Carter at Slate.
- Direct orders must meet a test of specificity, and President Trump’s tweet regarding transgender service officers does not, argues Eugene R. Fidell at Just Security.
President Trump’s statements on the obligations of an Attorney General reflect an apparent belief that his appointees owe their loyalty to him personally, rather than to the nation’s Constitution and its laws, argues Jeffrey Toobin at the New Yorker.
International experience suggests that President Trump’s attempts to delegitimize the judiciary may cause lasting harm, argues Michael Dorf at Dorf on Law.
Despite claims that federal prosecutions are subject to complete presidential control, there is a long tradition of prosecutorial independence in the United States, writes Rebecca Roiphe at ACS Blog.
Both Congress and the American people should be prepared to act immediately if President Trump fires Special Counsel Robert Mueller, suggests Dan Froomkin at ACS Blog.
A new lawsuit alleges that White House officials, including former press secretary Sean Spicer, urged Fox News to develop a false news story about murdered Democratic National Committee employee Seth Rich in order to distract from the Russia investigation (NPR, NYT, Politico).
- The administration denied a role in the story (Politico).