The
American
Bar
Association
recently
convened
a
white
collar
crime
conference
and
had
a
panel
discussion
about
threats
to
the
rule
of
law…
which,
at
this
point,
is
less
an
academic
topic
and
more
of
a
“look
around
you”
situation.
Panelists
gathered
to
discuss
what
many
legal
observers
view
as
a
constitutional
crisis
playing
out
inside
the
United
States
Department
of
Justice
under
Attorney
General
Pam
Bondi.
And
then
there
was
John
Lauro.
Lauro,
best
known
for
representing
Donald
Trump
in
his
criminal
matters,
arrived
with
a
take
so
disconnected
from
the
room
that
it
may
as
well
have
been
delivered
via
carrier
pigeon
from
an
alternate
universe.
While
other
panelists
described
unprecedented
pressure
on
the
DOJ
and
the
erosion
of
norms
meant
to
keep
prosecutions
independent
from
political
whims,
Lauro
had
a
different
assessment
entirely.
According
to
Lauro,
the
Department
of
Justice
is
actually
doing
great.
The
DOJ
is
“in
a
better
place”
than
a
year
earlier,
Lauro
said,
“because
I
have
the
unique
experience
of
representing
a
political
figure
who
was
probably
more
abused
by
the
criminal
justice
system
in
America
than
any
other
political
figure
ever.”
“In
a
better
place”?
Like
the
family
dog
you
told
the
kids
went
to
live
on
a
farm?
Come
on,
now
—
that’s
what
you
tell
kids
about
a
pet
that’s
died.
And
perhaps
it
was
more
honest
than
Lauro
intended
—
because
the
rule
of
law
has
indeed
crossed
that
rainbow
bridge
under
Bondi.
Well,
if
Lauro
expected
polite
nodding,
he
misread
the
room.
According
to
reports,
when
audience
member
Mark
Kokanovich,
a
former
federal
prosecutor
in
Arizona,
pressed
Lauro
to
explain
how
the
situation
could
possibly
have
improved,
the
question
drew
applause
from
attendees.
Lauro’s
explanation
did
not
exactly
restore
confidence.
“It’s
very
clear,”
Lauro
said.
“We’re
not
prosecuting
the
leading
political
opponent
to
President
Trump
right
now.”
Easy
there
—
because
it’s
not
for
lack
of
effort.
Under
Trump’s
DOJ,
New
York
Attorney
General
Letitia
James,
former
FBI
director
James
Comey,
and
multiple
members
of
Congress
have
all
been
targeted
and
it
is
only
the,
ahem,
rule
of
law
preventing
the
naked
prosecution
of
political
enemies.
Then
another
attendee,
former
New
Jersey
federal
prosecutor
Mitchell
Epner,
decided
to
skip
the
niceties
entirely.
“I
wanted
to
thank
Mr.
Lauro
for
admitting
the
emperor
has
no
clothes
—
the
rule
of
law
is
dead
because
the
people
in
this
room
and
the
Department
of
Justice
pissed
off
President
Trump,”
Epner
said.
He
continued,
“We
have
a
president
who
can
dictate
what
is
done
and
what
is
not
done.
Thank
you
for
admitting
that
the
dictator
in
place
in
the
White
House
has
killed
the
rule
of
law.
I
really
appreciate
that.”
Yes,
people
clapped.
Lauro
responded
in
a
pretty
juvenile
way.
“I
know
this
has
been
a
therapy
session
for
you,
and
I
hope
that
has
helped,”
Lauro
replied.
“I
know
this
is
an
emotional
time
for
you.”
At
which
point
someone
in
the
audience
said
the
thing
out
loud,
“You’re
a
clown.”
The
pushback
didn’t
just
come
from
the
audience.
It
also
came
from
the
stage.
Moderator
Sandy
Weinberg
of
Zuckerman
Spaeder
has
known
Lauro
for
more
than
four
decades
—
they
were
once
law
partners.
But
familiarity
did
not
translate
into
indulgence.
When
Lauro
defended
the
idea
that
the
president
can
effectively
dictate
prosecutions,
Weinberg
cut
in,
“I
can’t
believe
that
you
think
that
that’s
normal
or
good
that
one
person
can
dictate
who
the
Department
of
Justice
investigates
and
indicts.”
But
Lauro
used
the
Supreme
Court’s
immunity
decision
as
a
shield,
“That’s
what
the
Supreme
Court
said.”
As
if
it
weren’t
already
obvious
enough
that
decision
was
the
nadir
of
the
Roberts
Court.What
the
exchange
laid
bare
is
that
the
MAGA
legal
worldview
isn’t
really
about
legal
principles
so
much
as
grievance
narratives
wrapped
in
constitutional
vocabulary.
When
the
theory
starts
with
“Donald
Trump
was
the
most
abused
political
figure
in
American
history,”
the
rest
of
the
analysis
tends
to
collapse
into
whatever
conclusion
best
serves
that
premise.And
that’s
how
you
end
up
at
a
rule
of
law
panel
arguing
that
the
justice
system
is
healthier
than
ever
when
the
reality
—
the
DOJ
rebranded
into
the
president’s
personal
law
firm
and
investigating
his
enemies
on
a
deranged
whim
—
tells
a
different
story.If
that’s
the
definition
of
a
“better
place,”
then
yes
—
the
rule
of
law
is
absolutely
there.Right
next
to
that
childhood
goldfish.
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].