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Talking Feds

Has the Presidency Grown Too Powerful for the Constitution?

Talking Feds

Harry Litman

Government, News, Politics

4.84.5K Ratings

🗓️ 10 February 2020

⏱️ 59 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Notwithstanding serious misconduct by President Trump of the sort that impeachment and removal seemed designed to address, there never was a serious prospect that the Senate would convict him.  What went wrong?  Scholars and former government officials Bob Bauer, Rick Pildes, and Kate Shaw join Harry to discuss how Supreme Court decisions, executive branch aggrandizement, congressional acquiescence, and social and political forces have sapped impeachment of the strength the Framers intended. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Welcome to Talking Fence, a round table that brings together prominent former federal

0:11.8

officials for a dynamic discussion of the most important legal topics of the day.

0:17.6

We're turning to a topic today that is both eternally relevant but also at the height

0:23.0

of current events, namely the impeachment trial.

0:27.6

As a topic I've wanted to explore for many months as the writing on the wall has gotten

0:33.0

increasingly distinct that President Trump will not be removed from office, not with standing,

0:40.2

at least as it seems to me, an overwhelming factual case of pernicious abuse of power

0:46.2

and obstruction of Congress.

0:49.1

And so the question is, why not?

0:51.7

We have in the Constitution or it's thought that we have this sort of, if fire, break glass,

0:57.4

remedy for just such singular abuse of power, but that design apparently is not up to the

1:04.0

task at hand.

1:06.2

Is it because of some original flaw, some changes in the law, changes in social conditions,

1:12.9

in a word, has the presidency grown too powerful for the Constitution.

1:20.2

I'm Harry Littman.

1:21.2

I'm a former United States Attorney and Deputy Assistant Attorney General and a current

1:25.6

Washington Post columnist.

1:27.8

And with me live in New York City today is an ideal group of expert scholars with deep

1:33.8

experience in government and the Constitution to discuss this vexing question.

1:39.9

First Bob Bauer returns for the third time to talking feds.

1:44.1

As our listeners all know, Bob served as White House Council, the president Obama.

1:49.2

After having been the premier, I think without doubt, election law attorney in the country,

...

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