Examining Venezuelan Connections and Legal Implications

Long established legal norms continue to be challenged by Trump’s Justice Department, leading Andrew and Mary to emphasize how the courts have grown increasingly frustrated with the administration's tactics. They begin with last Thursday’s ruling from Judge Rodriguez in Texas, that Trump was unjustified in using the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan migrants. After a review of what that means for his ‘extraction’ efforts, Andrew and Mary go deep on an assessment made public from the National Intelligence Council, that indicates despite Trump’s presidential proclamation evoking the Alien Enemies Act, intelligence officials do not see a strong link between the Venezuelan government and Tren de Aragua. And lastly this week, they look at the latest judicial pushback on Trump’s attempts to threaten law firms, after Judge Beryl Howell ruled against his targeting of Perkins Coie by executive order.

Further reading: Here is the assessment from the National Intelligence Council on the relationship between the Maduro government and Tren de Aragua, courtesy of the New York Times.

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