Is the Act Protecting the Special Counsel Unconstitutional?

We the People

National Constitution Center

News, News Commentary, History

4.6 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 6 December 2018

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This episode examines the constitutionality of the Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act – bipartisan legislation that, if passed, would impose regulations on firing a Special Counsel (such as Robert Mueller). Although the bill is stalled for now, legal thinkers continue to offer a range of views on its constitutionality. Joining host Jeffrey Rosen to explore this debate are Josh Geltzer of Georgetown, arguing that the bill is not constitutional, and Eric Posner of University of Chicago, arguing that it is. BONUS: Hear Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) – one of the co-sponsors of the act – discuss it with Jeffrey Rosen on a special bonus episode, recorded the same day that Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) voted to stall the bill on the Senate floor.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	I'm Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, and welcome
0:11.0	to We The People, a weekly show of constitutional debate.
0:14.8	The National Constitution Center is a nonpartisan nonprofit chartered by Congress to increase
0:20.2	awareness and understanding of the Constitution among the American people.
0:25.1	This week we're examining the constitutionality of the Special Counsel Independence and Integrity
0:30.4	Act, a proposed bill that would regulate the President's ability to fire the Special
0:36.4	Council.
0:37.4	Last week, Senator Mike Lee of Utah objected on the Senate floor to a vote on the bill, stalling it for now.
0:44.3	Senator Chris Coons, who's proposed the bill,
0:46.7	came to the Constitution Center on the night of Senator Lee's objection
0:50.7	and challenged Senator Lee to a constitutional debate on the floor of the Senate, which
0:55.0	Senator Lee accepted.
0:56.9	We're so excited, we the people as Senators, Senator Coons and Lee, chair our Madisonian
1:01.8	Constitution for all Commission.
1:03.3	We're excited to be sponsoring that debate.
1:05.4	We're going to be running the feed with Senator Coons
1:08.6	as a bonus episode.
1:10.3	And today we have America's leading experts
1:12.4	on this constitutional question to help all of us
1:14.8	unpack and disaggregate and make up our own minds about this central question about whether
1:18.8	or not the special counsel removal bill is or is not constitutional.
1:23.4	So I'm so honored to introduce Joshua Geltzer, who is founding executive director of the
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from National Constitution Center, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of National Constitution Center and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.