I went to prison so that future presidential advisers won’t have to
“I Went To Prison So You Won’t Have To” is not just the title of my new book — it’s why I am appealing my contempt-of-Congress conviction, even after losing four months of my freedom in a Miami federal prison.
If I lose this landmark case of first impression, which is likely headed to the Supreme Court, future presidential advisers of either party will face the same stark choice I did: either to defend the Constitution’s separation of powers and executive privilege and risk prison, or to dishonor their oath and grovel before a lawfare-wielding Congress.
As the latest development in this case, my legal team is opposing an extraordinary move by the Department of Justice in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to strike its own merits brief and to appoint a friend of the court to argue in its place. This comes after the Justice Department prosecuted me in district court and defended that conviction on appeal.
The only justification the Justice Department offers is that it “has determined that it is no longer taking the same position as the prior administration in this case.” Translation: it’s abandoning its arguments without telling the court or the country why.
But this evasion will not do. The Federal rules of appellate procedure........
© The Hill
