by
Evan
Vucci-Pool/Getty
Images)
The
president
took
a
break
from
overseeing
a
domestic
occupation,
issuing
threats
to
Iran,
and
pretending
he’s
not
deeply
implicated
in
the
latest
Epstein
file
dump.
Speaking
of
dumps,
Trump
finds
himself
so
overburdened
these
days
that
he’s
taken
his
capacity
for
multitasking
to
extreme
levels.
And
yet
he
still
has
time
for
his
passion
project:
authoring
a
real-time
record
of
his
sundowning
through
his
vanity
social
media
outlet.
Yesterday,
his
ire
fell
upon
Federalist
Society
bigwig
Leonard
Leo,
whom
Trump
considers
a
sleazebag.
That’s
the
most
powerful
person
on
Earth
blasting
his
rage
wank
to
millions
of
followers
about
the
“big
and
very
dangerous
mouth”
on
an
“influencer”
so
notoriously
behind
the
scenes
that
almost
no
one
outside
the
legal
nerd
cult
even
knows
who
he
is.
This
is
not
the
first
time
Trump’s
lashed
out
at
Leo.
Last
year,
when
the
Court
of
International
Trade
struck
down
Trump’s
attempt
to
unilaterally
issue
tariffs
on
products
from
everywhere
up
to
and
including
an
uninhabited
penguin
reserve,
the
president
took
to
social
media
to
bash
Leo
as
a
“sleazebag.”
Who
are
we
to
argue
with
the
president?
While
Trump
complains
about
Leo
claiming
the
legal
system
is
“RIGGED”
his
actual
complaint
seems
to
be
the
possibility
that
it
is
not.
Having
railed
against
Leo
when
the
Trade
court
ruled
against
the
illegal
tariff
regime,
he’s
back
at
it
now
that
the
Supreme
Court
—
generally
exceedingly
compliant
to
the
administration’s
whims
—
appears
likely
to
break
with
the
White
House
on
both
tariffs
and
his
attempt
to
seize
control
of
the
Federal
Reserve.
Add
in
the
various
Republican
judges
around
the
country
refusing
to
allow
the
administration
to
run
roughshod
over
the
Constitution,
and
Trump
might
feel
genuinely
misled.
Still,
it’s
a
weird
complaint
to
air
in
public
when
Trump
has
three
more
years
to
work
and
no
viable
alternative
for
vetting
judicial
nominees.
The
Federalist
Society
manages
the
MAGA
cursus
honorum
and
cutting
ties
with
the
group
leaves
the
administration
picking
judges
based
on
vibes.
Presumably
Leo
—
directly
or
indirectly
—
guided
the
administration
in
choosing
the
FedSoc
all-stars
most
willing
to
embrace
the
president’s
agenda
as
opposed
to
the
squishy
libertarians
only
showing
up
for
low
taxes
and
free
Chick-fil-A.
But
it’s
a
reminder
that
the
White
House’s
obsession
with
loyalty
remains
a
one-way
street.
No
amount
of
obsequious
service
will
ever
be
enough
to
satisfy
Trump.
Presumably,
Leo
doesn’t
really
care.
He
managed
substantially
stock
the
courts
with
enough
low-hanging
fruit
to
deliver
activist-friendly
one-judge
courthouses
and
appellate
courts
more
interested
in
clicks
than
laws
that
will
pay
off
for
ages.
They
may
not
always
deliver
for
Trump,
but
when
they
don’t
they’re
just
delivering
for
traditional
Republican
values.
Leo’s
success
will
outlast
Trump.
Earlier:
Donald
Trump
Rips
Federalist
Society,
Calls
Leonard
Leo
A
‘Sleazebag’
Joe
Patrice is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
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