by
DON
EMMERT/AFP
via
Getty
Images)
Remember
was
it
was
an
anathema
to
conservative
values
to
interfere
with
business?
Oh,
my
kingdom
for
the
halcyon
days
of
Reagan’s
“limited
government.”
Now
we
have
a
Republican
president
committed
to
micromanaging
the
nation
based
on
his
own
personal
vendettas.
And
it’s
not
just
the
once
independent
Department
of
Justice
that
must
adhere
to
his
whims,
but
private
industry
as
well.
While
Donald
Trump’s
role
in
the
sidelining
of
Jimmy
Kimmel
(until
Disney
adults
came
to
the
rescue)
has
garnered
a
ton
of
attention,
he’s
making
other
moves
to
leave
his
indelible
mark
on
the
free
market.
Like
demanding
Microsoft
fire
one
of
its
attorneys.
Last
week,
the
president
took
to
social
media
(because
of
course
that’s
how
he
does
it)
to
demand
that
Microsoft
fire
its
President
of
Global
Affairs
Lisa
Monaco.
So
what
has
Monaco
done
to
spark
Trump’s
ire?
Well,
she
worked
for
the
Department
of
Justice
under
the
Biden
administration.
And
you
can
tell
from
the
way
Trump
uses
the
current
DOJ
as
his
own
personal
law
firm
that
he
doesn’t
understand
the
notion
of
public
service
and
the
value
of
a
Justice
Department
that
works
separately
from
the
president’s
late-night
demands.
Monaco
was
the
deputy
attorney
general
and
coordinated
the
DOJ’s
prosecution
of
the
January
6th
perpetrators.
Because
pardoning
those
responsible
for
the
attack
on
the
Capitol
isn’t
enough
to
undo
the
Trumpian
slight,
the
president
is
also
going
after
those,
like
Monaco,
who
attempted
to
uphold
the
rule
of
law.
In
March,
in
one
of
his
executive
orders
aimed
at
attorneys
and
the
rule
of
law,
Trump
revoked
Monaco’s
security
clearance.
And
last
week,
Trump
wrote
on
Truth
Social
that
Monaco
should
be
fired
and
is
“a
menace
to
U.S.
National
Security,
especially
given
the
major
contracts
that
Microsoft
has
with
the
United
States
Government.”
Microsoft
has
not
commented
on
the
campaign
of
presidential
pressure.
But,
as
reported
by
Law.com,
Microsoft
has
billions
of
dollars
in
federal
government
contracts
that
could
be
leveraged
to
bend
to
Trump’s
demands.
Just
another
thing
that’s
perfectly
emblematic
of
2025
that
would
have
been
downright
shocking
30
years
ago.
Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of
The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter
@Kathryn1 or
Mastodon
@[email protected].