1 00:00:01,120 --> 00:00:03,400 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you should know, a production of My 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:12,520 Speaker 1: Heart Radios How Stuff Works. Hey, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:12,600 --> 00:00:15,520 Speaker 1: I'm Josh Clark, and there's Charles W. Chuck Bryant, and 4 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:20,560 Speaker 1: there's Jerry Jerome Rowland over there, the Legal Eagles of podcasting. 5 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:25,840 Speaker 1: Who can I be Daryl Hannah? Yes, I call Barbara Hershey. 6 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:29,720 Speaker 1: I don't think so. Who was it, oh, Legal Eagles? 7 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:32,920 Speaker 1: I know Deborah Winger? Yes, was Darryll Hannah even in 8 00:00:32,960 --> 00:00:35,560 Speaker 1: that Now, yeah, she was the client of Deborah Winger. 9 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:39,879 Speaker 1: And you're not Redford? No, I always have to be 10 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:43,519 Speaker 1: read for everybody's always like that. Guy's a regular Robert Redford. 11 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:47,280 Speaker 1: He'll play him in this scenario. Right, That's that's the 12 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:50,279 Speaker 1: street chatter. Yeah. Can I still be Barbara Hershey even 13 00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:53,120 Speaker 1: though she wasn't in the movie. Sure, I think I'm 14 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:56,280 Speaker 1: thinking of beaches. Oh well, that means I get to 15 00:00:56,280 --> 00:00:59,320 Speaker 1: be Bette Midler? Right. I wonder how many pods save 16 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:02,400 Speaker 1: America Seners we just lost who it just casually decided 17 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:04,800 Speaker 1: to give us a chance? I want to learn about subpoenas. 18 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:08,839 Speaker 1: Right before we get going, though, can we quickly thank 19 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:13,520 Speaker 1: the cities of Orlando and Greater Orlando and Florida in 20 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:18,559 Speaker 1: New Orleans and Greater Louisiana. Yes, for two fun live shows. Yeah, 21 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:21,120 Speaker 1: those were a lot of fun. Um. Let's see. We 22 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:25,520 Speaker 1: did Orlando on October nine, I think, and then the 23 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:29,039 Speaker 1: tenth for New Orleans. Regardless, it was night back to 24 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:31,560 Speaker 1: back to fund filled nights and they were just both 25 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:34,920 Speaker 1: amazing shows. Yeah, and when this comes out, I think 26 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:36,800 Speaker 1: New York will have been over. So thank you New York. 27 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:40,399 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, yeah, we we presume it's going to have 28 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:42,640 Speaker 1: been a great time that three night run at the Bellhouse. 29 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:46,319 Speaker 1: They're always great there. And that's it too. That's it 30 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:49,160 Speaker 1: for us for the for the year, Chuck, So, I 31 00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:51,360 Speaker 1: mean thank you to everybody who came out to see 32 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:53,360 Speaker 1: our shows this year. Yeah. Can we go ahead and 33 00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:59,000 Speaker 1: tease our our January scheduled? Should we not? I think 34 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:01,200 Speaker 1: we can't sure? All right, Well, well we're hoping to 35 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:04,240 Speaker 1: be back at Sketch Fest again, and then what do 36 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 1: we settle on? I don't know settling is the right 37 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:13,960 Speaker 1: way to put it. The Seattle we're doing Seattle, we are, Yeah, 38 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:18,120 Speaker 1: and normally for a January swing we do Portland's Seattle 39 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:22,079 Speaker 1: Sketch Fest. Well, We've got the I Heart Radio Awards 40 00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:24,760 Speaker 1: in there in Los Angeles, and we just you know, 41 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:28,440 Speaker 1: kind of have to go to that. Um no, sorry, 42 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:30,680 Speaker 1: the I Heart Podcast Awards. They don't care about us 43 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:32,639 Speaker 1: at all at the radio Awards. Now. We can't even 44 00:02:32,639 --> 00:02:35,600 Speaker 1: get in that building, right exactly. So we said, okay, well, 45 00:02:35,639 --> 00:02:37,840 Speaker 1: we gotta we gotta pull out one of our shows 46 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:40,200 Speaker 1: because we're old men and we just can't spend that 47 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:43,240 Speaker 1: much time on the road. So instead we're going to 48 00:02:43,320 --> 00:02:46,840 Speaker 1: take Portland's and put it with another town in the spring. 49 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:49,320 Speaker 1: So don't worry, Portland, we will be out there maybe 50 00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:52,600 Speaker 1: maybe the Cove. That's what that's the talk, that's the 51 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:55,639 Speaker 1: chatter around town. But we have no dates confirmed yet. 52 00:02:55,680 --> 00:02:58,280 Speaker 1: But this just look for us again in the Pacific 53 00:02:58,320 --> 00:03:00,560 Speaker 1: Northwest at the beginning of the year. It's a much 54 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:03,560 Speaker 1: better way to put it. So do you want to 55 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:06,000 Speaker 1: talk about subpoenas? You got any other housekeeping to do? 56 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:11,280 Speaker 1: I don't think so. Um, subpoena's weird spelling. Well, yeah, 57 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:14,280 Speaker 1: so I looked up the word, and subpoena is actually 58 00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:18,520 Speaker 1: two words. It means under penalty and it's typically the 59 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:22,000 Speaker 1: first two words that were read in this rid of subpoena, 60 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 1: basically saying, under penalty of um blah blah blah. Yeah, 61 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:30,399 Speaker 1: I was thinking all I could think about was really 62 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:35,160 Speaker 1: dirty dark stuff. Yeah, so I just let you fill 63 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:38,760 Speaker 1: in the blah blah blah. But anyway, under penalty of whatever, 64 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:42,720 Speaker 1: you need to do one of two things. Uh, And 65 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:45,360 Speaker 1: there are two types of subpoenas that everybody, you know, 66 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:47,400 Speaker 1: everybody hears subpoena and you think, like Law and Order, 67 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:51,160 Speaker 1: Maybe visions of Central Park run through your head because 68 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:53,560 Speaker 1: that's your only exposure to Central Park is from Law 69 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:57,200 Speaker 1: and Order, or you think of the US government, because 70 00:03:57,600 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 1: a lot of this is going to be about congressional subpoenas, 71 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:02,760 Speaker 1: because that's really the juiciest subpoena. Yeah, that's It's not 72 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:06,680 Speaker 1: like it's new that Congress has just recently started issuing subpoenas. 73 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:10,920 Speaker 1: It's new in the conscious of America in this this age, 74 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:13,240 Speaker 1: this generation. I mean, it's been going on for a while. 75 00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:17,960 Speaker 1: But normally when people think subpoenas until like basically two thousand, seventeen, 76 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:23,440 Speaker 1: sixteen eighteen, um, not necessarily in that order. Um, most 77 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:26,000 Speaker 1: people thought of courtroom subpoenas, and that is you know, 78 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:28,800 Speaker 1: typically the subpoena most people are ever going to come 79 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:32,680 Speaker 1: up against in their lifetime. That's right. But you mentioned 80 00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:35,520 Speaker 1: the two types. You want to break out your Latin 81 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:40,280 Speaker 1: or shall I you take the first, I'll take the second. Okay, 82 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:44,840 Speaker 1: The first one's easy. The first one is subpoena add 83 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:49,400 Speaker 1: testify candem. Wow, did you see that? You just made 84 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:53,040 Speaker 1: a mouse appear and run out of the room. The 85 00:04:53,080 --> 00:04:55,200 Speaker 1: next one, so that I was so sorry. The first one, 86 00:04:55,240 --> 00:04:57,400 Speaker 1: the one you just said, that means you gotta come 87 00:04:57,440 --> 00:04:59,599 Speaker 1: to court. You just nailed it. Yeah, it says that 88 00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:02,800 Speaker 1: you to come and testify, and you might not be 89 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:06,120 Speaker 1: um a party to the lawsuit like this is. It 90 00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:08,400 Speaker 1: can be a civil case or a criminal case. It's 91 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:11,720 Speaker 1: a big thing to point out, um, But basically it's 92 00:05:11,720 --> 00:05:15,920 Speaker 1: saying you have some information. You witnessed an act, um, 93 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:21,160 Speaker 1: you overheard a conversation the the defendant confess something to you. 94 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:24,159 Speaker 1: We need you to come to court and tell your story. 95 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:27,120 Speaker 1: And that's what that first subpoena is saying to do. Yeah, 96 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:29,400 Speaker 1: and not necessarily court court, but it can be any 97 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:32,080 Speaker 1: kind of legal authority. Yeah, it could be a deposition, 98 00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:36,240 Speaker 1: it could be an arbitration. Um. But typically it's the 99 00:05:36,279 --> 00:05:40,520 Speaker 1: authority of a court of law to basically say we're 100 00:05:40,560 --> 00:05:42,800 Speaker 1: going to levy a fine against you, or we're going 101 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:44,479 Speaker 1: to arrest you and put you in jail if you 102 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:48,240 Speaker 1: don't listen. That's that's used to um to kind of 103 00:05:48,360 --> 00:05:54,640 Speaker 1: enforce subpoenas. So the second one is the subpoena doocey's teacum, Hey, nice, 104 00:05:54,839 --> 00:05:58,320 Speaker 1: thank you um. And that is basically saying, hey, you 105 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:01,640 Speaker 1: have a document, you have of a hair sample, you 106 00:06:01,760 --> 00:06:04,200 Speaker 1: have some sort of bodily fluids we want to get 107 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:08,640 Speaker 1: our hands on. You have a compute yeah, or a 108 00:06:08,640 --> 00:06:13,719 Speaker 1: computer hard drive, um, you know something like that that 109 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:16,400 Speaker 1: we want you to produce because we want to use 110 00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:19,400 Speaker 1: it as evidence. And there's a really important point to 111 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:23,080 Speaker 1: put here, Like a court is saying a court or 112 00:06:23,279 --> 00:06:26,599 Speaker 1: an official of the court or of the government is saying, 113 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:29,200 Speaker 1: we want you to do this because we have this 114 00:06:29,279 --> 00:06:32,200 Speaker 1: lawsuit going on and you have something we need. But 115 00:06:32,320 --> 00:06:34,320 Speaker 1: it's not necessarily the judge saying, and the judge is 116 00:06:34,360 --> 00:06:37,279 Speaker 1: signing off on it. It's really a lawyer or of 117 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:39,560 Speaker 1: for one side of the other saying, hey, I heard 118 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:42,480 Speaker 1: that this person has the secret tape and I need 119 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:44,360 Speaker 1: to get my hands on it, Judge, can you order 120 00:06:44,440 --> 00:06:46,680 Speaker 1: this person to bring it to me so that I 121 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:49,160 Speaker 1: can enter it into evidence. And then the judge says, 122 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:52,240 Speaker 1: speak to my clerk, and then the clerk of the 123 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:56,000 Speaker 1: usually the clerk of the judge who's handling that case. Um, 124 00:06:56,160 --> 00:06:59,160 Speaker 1: they say, talked to the hand. Yeah, and they'll generally 125 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:03,039 Speaker 1: issue it on uh, unlike official court letter head and 126 00:07:03,200 --> 00:07:06,799 Speaker 1: official documentation. It's not like the judges washing their hands 127 00:07:06,839 --> 00:07:09,920 Speaker 1: of it necessarily. No, No, I'm sure like if they 128 00:07:09,960 --> 00:07:12,720 Speaker 1: do something egregiously wrong with the judge is gonna hear 129 00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:15,000 Speaker 1: about it and punish them, that's right. And then it 130 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:19,240 Speaker 1: served um, usually in person, uh kind of you know, 131 00:07:19,360 --> 00:07:21,080 Speaker 1: hand it to you like on the TV shows and 132 00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:24,200 Speaker 1: in the movies. Yeah, either by a sheriff's deputy or 133 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:28,080 Speaker 1: a process server. Yeah, but not always it it depends 134 00:07:28,120 --> 00:07:32,440 Speaker 1: on if it's congressional um, or if it's you know, 135 00:07:32,680 --> 00:07:37,560 Speaker 1: civil regular josh mos stuff. Yeah. Well yeah for sure. 136 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:39,760 Speaker 1: But I think even if it is regular civil josh 137 00:07:39,840 --> 00:07:42,800 Speaker 1: Mos stuff, you can still go higher the sheriff's department 138 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:46,440 Speaker 1: to serve papers, to serve a subpoena, Oh for sure. 139 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:49,840 Speaker 1: I think the congressional ones are not served by a sheriff. Oh, 140 00:07:49,920 --> 00:07:52,640 Speaker 1: I see who do they use? I think it depends 141 00:07:52,760 --> 00:07:56,400 Speaker 1: it could. I mean the way congressional subpoena's work is 142 00:07:56,440 --> 00:08:00,520 Speaker 1: all sort of dependent on the individual committee that's seeking subpoena, 143 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:04,480 Speaker 1: So they all have their own individual rules about like 144 00:08:04,520 --> 00:08:06,800 Speaker 1: whether you need a majority vote to even get a subpoena, 145 00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:10,280 Speaker 1: or whether the chair of that committee is you know, 146 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:15,000 Speaker 1: has the power to h grant or request to subpoena. Right, 147 00:08:15,080 --> 00:08:16,920 Speaker 1: I've read some of them know that it's a real 148 00:08:16,960 --> 00:08:20,880 Speaker 1: downer to get a subpoena, says some congressional committees used 149 00:08:20,920 --> 00:08:24,960 Speaker 1: that mascot from the nineteen eight four Olympics, the Eagle 150 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:28,480 Speaker 1: to come issue your papers to you. I don't remember 151 00:08:28,480 --> 00:08:31,840 Speaker 1: that one. You don't remember that eagle? Now? Was this 152 00:08:31,960 --> 00:08:35,319 Speaker 1: like a cartoon eagle from? Yeah? I mean all I can. 153 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:38,480 Speaker 1: I can't get past the Atlanta Olympics mascot. That's why 154 00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:40,520 Speaker 1: I can't get back to nineteen eighty four? Was it? 155 00:08:40,559 --> 00:08:43,440 Speaker 1: What's it? Or who's it? I don't even know. It 156 00:08:43,559 --> 00:08:45,960 Speaker 1: was one of those two. What was that thing? I 157 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:49,280 Speaker 1: don't know. It was a last last minute thing. What 158 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:51,520 Speaker 1: was the name it was? What's it? Or who's it 159 00:08:51,679 --> 00:08:55,520 Speaker 1: was it? Yes, yes, man, it was bad. I was 160 00:08:55,559 --> 00:08:58,800 Speaker 1: out of town. I fled. You didn't miss anything. But 161 00:08:58,880 --> 00:09:03,520 Speaker 1: I do remember watching the opening uh whatever they're called, 162 00:09:03,520 --> 00:09:09,040 Speaker 1: the opening opening ceremonies, and seeing the stainless steel pickup 163 00:09:09,080 --> 00:09:12,960 Speaker 1: trucks driving around and just thinking, oh boy. Yeah. And 164 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:14,640 Speaker 1: I for those of you who are like, they've talked 165 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:17,280 Speaker 1: about this before, yeah, we have, and we're still that 166 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:19,400 Speaker 1: upset about it. We'll talk about it again in five 167 00:09:19,440 --> 00:09:22,880 Speaker 1: more years. We haven't forgotten. Yeah, stainless deel pickup trucks 168 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:26,040 Speaker 1: they haunt. I have dreams about those trucks. Yeah, if 169 00:09:26,080 --> 00:09:32,840 Speaker 1: they're just circling you playing striper at the loudest possible volume. Man. Okay, 170 00:09:32,880 --> 00:09:35,880 Speaker 1: So we've got different kinds of subpoenas, but both of 171 00:09:35,920 --> 00:09:40,000 Speaker 1: them apply to either courts of law or Congress. So 172 00:09:40,840 --> 00:09:43,120 Speaker 1: there's one big question that most people who get a 173 00:09:43,120 --> 00:09:47,679 Speaker 1: subpoena ask themselves the moment they're served the paper, and 174 00:09:47,720 --> 00:09:50,520 Speaker 1: that is, can I ignore this? Do I have to 175 00:09:50,559 --> 00:09:53,400 Speaker 1: do this right? We get what happens to me if 176 00:09:53,440 --> 00:09:55,319 Speaker 1: I just pretend like I never got this, And that's 177 00:09:55,320 --> 00:09:57,720 Speaker 1: really tough to do. I was reading about process servers 178 00:09:58,240 --> 00:10:02,880 Speaker 1: and Um, they people who are issuing the subpoena or 179 00:10:02,920 --> 00:10:05,200 Speaker 1: the lawyer who's asking for the subpoena to say, they 180 00:10:05,240 --> 00:10:07,760 Speaker 1: want some sort of proof that says you got that paper, 181 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:11,280 Speaker 1: so they have to. Um. There's like certain rules and 182 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:14,560 Speaker 1: regulations to serve to serving somebody with a subpoena, so 183 00:10:14,600 --> 00:10:18,520 Speaker 1: it's really difficult to pretend like you're not, like you 184 00:10:18,559 --> 00:10:20,920 Speaker 1: didn't get it, and a lot of people actually go 185 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:23,640 Speaker 1: to a tremendous amount of trouble to avoid being served 186 00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:26,760 Speaker 1: as subpoena. They will like move around, they will pretend 187 00:10:26,800 --> 00:10:29,600 Speaker 1: they're not home. They won't let anyone else answer the 188 00:10:29,640 --> 00:10:31,560 Speaker 1: door because in some states you can leave it with 189 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:34,320 Speaker 1: a competent thirteen year old or eighteen year old. They'll 190 00:10:34,320 --> 00:10:36,160 Speaker 1: stick their hands in their ears and go la la la, 191 00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:38,840 Speaker 1: la la la. Right exactly, they'll do a lot of 192 00:10:38,880 --> 00:10:41,880 Speaker 1: stuff to keep from being served. But that's actually it 193 00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:45,559 Speaker 1: will just delay being served in the long run, you 194 00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:48,680 Speaker 1: will still there's other remedies they can use. They can 195 00:10:49,360 --> 00:10:51,800 Speaker 1: mail it to your house certified mail, and if the 196 00:10:51,840 --> 00:10:55,080 Speaker 1: male person says this was dropped off made it to 197 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:58,160 Speaker 1: their house, that's enough. Or if you can say I 198 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:00,040 Speaker 1: took the numbers off my mailbox where you get to 199 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:03,920 Speaker 1: do now, chump um. They can actually post an ad 200 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:07,960 Speaker 1: in the local legal organ the newspaper, and then that 201 00:11:08,080 --> 00:11:11,480 Speaker 1: will be considered serving you. So either way, you're going 202 00:11:11,520 --> 00:11:15,839 Speaker 1: to end up being considered to have received the subpoena eventually, 203 00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:19,640 Speaker 1: and if you do, you probably shouldn't ignore it. Yeah, 204 00:11:19,760 --> 00:11:23,320 Speaker 1: I mean, it says here in this article which most 205 00:11:23,320 --> 00:11:25,680 Speaker 1: of this is from the House Stuff Works article about subpoena's, 206 00:11:26,480 --> 00:11:27,920 Speaker 1: but it says, you know, it's a lot easier if 207 00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:32,280 Speaker 1: you just go or produce the documents. But as we'll 208 00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:34,880 Speaker 1: cover here and a lot of this congressional oversight stuff, 209 00:11:35,480 --> 00:11:39,600 Speaker 1: that is not the route that people take generally in government. Yeah, 210 00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:41,400 Speaker 1: and I thought it was kind of an oversight to 211 00:11:41,520 --> 00:11:43,839 Speaker 1: not say, like, but also, if somebody serves you with 212 00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:47,080 Speaker 1: the subpoena, like go you don't necessarily have to hire 213 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:49,319 Speaker 1: a lawyer, but at least consult with one, like get 214 00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:52,080 Speaker 1: some legal advice, say this is what I got, you know, 215 00:11:52,160 --> 00:11:55,719 Speaker 1: what what should I do with this? Is this? You know, well, 216 00:11:55,960 --> 00:11:58,040 Speaker 1: you know, there's a lot of questions that you should 217 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:01,920 Speaker 1: have answered before you just act down a subpoena. Yeah, 218 00:12:01,960 --> 00:12:04,920 Speaker 1: and you know, when it comes to ignoring subpoena's. Uh. 219 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:06,520 Speaker 1: And that's what a lot of this will be about, 220 00:12:06,600 --> 00:12:10,160 Speaker 1: is um is what's going on with our government right 221 00:12:10,200 --> 00:12:13,760 Speaker 1: now and previously and what happens if you defy Congress 222 00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:17,080 Speaker 1: And is there any accountability for that or can you 223 00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:19,959 Speaker 1: just sit on your hands say nope? But there have 224 00:12:20,040 --> 00:12:24,800 Speaker 1: been some very famous um cases in the past, you know, 225 00:12:25,080 --> 00:12:28,880 Speaker 1: fifteen years or so where subpoenas have been ignored. Uh, 226 00:12:28,960 --> 00:12:31,040 Speaker 1: starting well, I'm not starting with but we can start 227 00:12:31,080 --> 00:12:35,679 Speaker 1: with Eric Holder, Attorney General for Barack Obama. Yeah, that 228 00:12:35,760 --> 00:12:38,400 Speaker 1: was a big one that was part of the operation, uh, 229 00:12:38,640 --> 00:12:43,720 Speaker 1: the Fast and Furious scandal. Scandal. Yeah, it was definitely 230 00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:47,280 Speaker 1: a scandal. It um It from what I remember, it 231 00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:50,240 Speaker 1: involved like secret gun sales or else. Some guns were 232 00:12:50,840 --> 00:12:53,640 Speaker 1: like led out into the community to be traced to 233 00:12:53,679 --> 00:12:55,560 Speaker 1: see who they went to, and one of them ended 234 00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:59,160 Speaker 1: up being used to murder an ice officer I believe. Well, 235 00:12:59,200 --> 00:13:04,840 Speaker 1: Attorney General Eric Holder refused, under direction of Obama, to 236 00:13:04,920 --> 00:13:08,360 Speaker 1: answer that subpoena, and he became the first sitting cabinet 237 00:13:08,360 --> 00:13:13,280 Speaker 1: member to be voted in contempt of Congress. That right, Yeah, 238 00:13:13,360 --> 00:13:16,240 Speaker 1: And you know you're like, oh, what happens in well, 239 00:13:16,280 --> 00:13:19,440 Speaker 1: three and a half years later, a judge ruled Um 240 00:13:20,080 --> 00:13:24,120 Speaker 1: that he did not have the right to defy Congress. 241 00:13:24,480 --> 00:13:26,160 Speaker 1: And by that time there was a new Congress, and 242 00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:29,760 Speaker 1: it was a moodpoint. That's a really big big thing 243 00:13:29,800 --> 00:13:34,199 Speaker 1: to remember, is like a contempt of Congress vote where 244 00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:37,920 Speaker 1: you are supposedly in trouble for ignoring a subpoena, only 245 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:40,920 Speaker 1: lasts as long as that session of Congress, unless the 246 00:13:40,960 --> 00:13:43,480 Speaker 1: next session of Congress wants to pick it up. Yes, 247 00:13:43,520 --> 00:13:45,400 Speaker 1: but then they have to hold another vote. And the 248 00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:49,520 Speaker 1: chances that that the that there has been a change 249 00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:52,760 Speaker 1: in leadership potentially in that Congress is you know high 250 00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:56,360 Speaker 1: enough that if you if you make it through that Congress, 251 00:13:56,679 --> 00:14:00,400 Speaker 1: you know, um, going into recess, you're you're probably going 252 00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:02,640 Speaker 1: to get away with it. And I mean that's par 253 00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:04,559 Speaker 1: for the course. It wasn't just Eric Holder who got 254 00:14:04,559 --> 00:14:07,280 Speaker 1: away with it. Um, Harriet Myers, who was a White 255 00:14:07,280 --> 00:14:10,480 Speaker 1: House counsel, the George W. Bush. There's like a mass 256 00:14:10,640 --> 00:14:16,800 Speaker 1: political firing of U S attorneys and Um yep, and 257 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:19,160 Speaker 1: she and I think chief of staff at the time, 258 00:14:19,240 --> 00:14:23,520 Speaker 1: Joshua Bolton were both held in contempt of Congress and man, 259 00:14:23,560 --> 00:14:26,520 Speaker 1: if you look up, like you know, follow up reporting 260 00:14:26,560 --> 00:14:28,960 Speaker 1: on this stuff, it's like, you know, while it's going 261 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:32,800 Speaker 1: on there like they could face fine jail time. Finally 262 00:14:32,840 --> 00:14:35,440 Speaker 1: I found some follow up. There's like nothing nothing happened, 263 00:14:35,440 --> 00:14:38,640 Speaker 1: Absolutely nothing happened. There's no legal ramifications, there were no 264 00:14:38,720 --> 00:14:45,040 Speaker 1: personal ramifications. There was nothing happened whatsoever to Harriet Myers 265 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:48,880 Speaker 1: or Joshua Bolton or Eric Holder for just saying Congress, 266 00:14:49,320 --> 00:14:53,920 Speaker 1: the United States Congress, go sit on it, which is 267 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:56,640 Speaker 1: essentially what you're saying when you ignore a subpoenis yea. 268 00:14:57,080 --> 00:15:00,480 Speaker 1: And because of this um you remember represented of darryl 269 00:15:00,520 --> 00:15:04,560 Speaker 1: Issa probably by name, he was uh he was involved 270 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:08,440 Speaker 1: in trying to get Eric Holder, you know in the room, 271 00:15:08,520 --> 00:15:11,880 Speaker 1: and he was so mad he sponsored or intro to 272 00:15:11,960 --> 00:15:16,760 Speaker 1: bill to strengthen subpoena enforcement power, and uh it died 273 00:15:16,760 --> 00:15:19,480 Speaker 1: in the Senate. And before we, uh, I think we're 274 00:15:19,480 --> 00:15:20,840 Speaker 1: about to take a break. Before we do that, that 275 00:15:20,960 --> 00:15:24,400 Speaker 1: we should mention that currently White House Counsel Don McGann 276 00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:29,640 Speaker 1: um has refused to testify or refused to uh answer 277 00:15:29,720 --> 00:15:34,480 Speaker 1: his subpoena under direct order of Trump and UM right 278 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:39,240 Speaker 1: now he's being sued by the House and he he 279 00:15:39,400 --> 00:15:44,160 Speaker 1: in particular provides a an unusual situation because at least 280 00:15:44,160 --> 00:15:47,120 Speaker 1: with Harriet Myers, or with Joshua Bolton or with Eric Holder, 281 00:15:47,560 --> 00:15:50,000 Speaker 1: when they were directed by the president at the time 282 00:15:50,080 --> 00:15:54,720 Speaker 1: not to um submit to that subpoena from Congress, they 283 00:15:54,760 --> 00:15:58,680 Speaker 1: were part of the president's staff. Don McGann was instructed 284 00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:02,320 Speaker 1: not to do not to cooperate with the subpoena after 285 00:16:02,480 --> 00:16:05,280 Speaker 1: he had already left civil service. He was no longer 286 00:16:05,320 --> 00:16:08,000 Speaker 1: part of the executive branch. So that definitely makes it unusual. 287 00:16:08,320 --> 00:16:10,280 Speaker 1: But if you're sitting there and your head is popping 288 00:16:10,360 --> 00:16:13,200 Speaker 1: and you're saying, how wait, how this is Congress, How 289 00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:16,480 Speaker 1: can the president just say just ignore that subpoena and 290 00:16:16,520 --> 00:16:19,760 Speaker 1: people get away with it. There's actually a lot of 291 00:16:20,880 --> 00:16:23,440 Speaker 1: case law that's been built over the centuries that kind 292 00:16:23,480 --> 00:16:25,880 Speaker 1: of establishes that. And I say, Chuck, we take a 293 00:16:25,880 --> 00:16:52,120 Speaker 1: break and then we'll dive into that after this. So, Chuck, 294 00:16:52,160 --> 00:16:54,960 Speaker 1: there's something about subpoenas, whether they're issued by Congress or 295 00:16:55,000 --> 00:16:58,280 Speaker 1: by a court of law. Um, when you get them 296 00:16:58,280 --> 00:17:02,560 Speaker 1: that a lot of people don't realize, uh, they're negotiable. 297 00:17:03,600 --> 00:17:07,840 Speaker 1: That's one really big reason to hire a lawyer is because, um, 298 00:17:08,200 --> 00:17:11,080 Speaker 1: they it may be overly broad, it may be kind 299 00:17:11,080 --> 00:17:13,920 Speaker 1: of a fishing expedition. It may put you at risk 300 00:17:14,080 --> 00:17:16,560 Speaker 1: to come forward and give this testimony or to hand 301 00:17:16,560 --> 00:17:18,800 Speaker 1: over these documents. And if you'll if you hire a 302 00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:21,280 Speaker 1: lawyer and say, hey, these are the things I'm worried about, 303 00:17:21,480 --> 00:17:24,040 Speaker 1: they can go and argue to the judge like, hey, 304 00:17:24,119 --> 00:17:26,879 Speaker 1: how about we just limit this subpoena to these documents 305 00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:30,440 Speaker 1: rather than everything on my client's hard drive. Or it's 306 00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:33,920 Speaker 1: really a big hardship for my client to make it here, um, 307 00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:37,480 Speaker 1: and the fifteen dollars a day that the court's paying 308 00:17:37,560 --> 00:17:40,480 Speaker 1: him for coming to testify isn't actually going to cover it, 309 00:17:40,760 --> 00:17:43,639 Speaker 1: So you know, can we can we negotiate a higher 310 00:17:43,640 --> 00:17:45,680 Speaker 1: fee or something like that. There's a lot of stuff 311 00:17:45,720 --> 00:17:47,840 Speaker 1: that can be done. But this is a technic that's 312 00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:51,800 Speaker 1: also used with congressional um subpoenas too, where say like 313 00:17:51,840 --> 00:17:55,399 Speaker 1: the executive branch will go, m I think that this 314 00:17:55,440 --> 00:17:57,520 Speaker 1: is a little overly broad, but maybe we could give 315 00:17:57,560 --> 00:18:01,640 Speaker 1: you this document. Will that satisfy you go Nope? Sometimes 316 00:18:01,680 --> 00:18:04,520 Speaker 1: they say yes, though, and part of that negotiation comes 317 00:18:04,560 --> 00:18:08,359 Speaker 1: out of the subpoena process. It's a response to it, um, 318 00:18:08,400 --> 00:18:11,720 Speaker 1: But none of it would have any effect whatsoever if 319 00:18:11,760 --> 00:18:17,679 Speaker 1: Congress didn't have any redress for um, for enforcing its subpoenas. 320 00:18:17,800 --> 00:18:20,960 Speaker 1: If somebody ignores it. Yeah, I mean, technically there are 321 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:24,360 Speaker 1: fines in jail time sort of looming. But the more 322 00:18:24,400 --> 00:18:26,560 Speaker 1: I read about this stuff, especially when it comes to 323 00:18:26,760 --> 00:18:31,119 Speaker 1: Congressional oversight, the more it became clear that none of 324 00:18:31,160 --> 00:18:34,920 Speaker 1: that stuff really happens. It's all just dangled out there 325 00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:39,360 Speaker 1: as a means to negotiate, uh something with each other 326 00:18:39,480 --> 00:18:43,280 Speaker 1: over a pretty long period of time usually for sure. Yeah, 327 00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:45,680 Speaker 1: that Eric Holder thing was it was like four years 328 00:18:45,720 --> 00:18:48,879 Speaker 1: before he finally handed over the file um, and I 329 00:18:48,920 --> 00:18:51,400 Speaker 1: think Congress had already gone out of session, you said, 330 00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:53,800 Speaker 1: And it was basically just the whole thing had died down, 331 00:18:53,840 --> 00:18:56,960 Speaker 1: which I think is basically the the stalling tactic that 332 00:18:57,440 --> 00:19:01,480 Speaker 1: people ignore subpoenas for like that's why they're doing it. Yeah. 333 00:19:01,640 --> 00:19:04,720 Speaker 1: So technically, if you defy Congress, the committee that issued 334 00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:08,919 Speaker 1: that subpoena is going to vote to issue a citation, 335 00:19:09,040 --> 00:19:11,439 Speaker 1: a contempt citation, and then it's got to go to 336 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:13,959 Speaker 1: the full chamber to vote on it. And if that 337 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:16,800 Speaker 1: goes through and it passes, which it has before. Then 338 00:19:16,920 --> 00:19:19,680 Speaker 1: there are three three basic ways that you can prosecute 339 00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:26,680 Speaker 1: that charge, right, and each one is worth Yeah, pretty 340 00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:30,800 Speaker 1: much like this is. We would never give official legal advice, 341 00:19:31,280 --> 00:19:33,359 Speaker 1: first of all, because we're not lawyers or even trained 342 00:19:33,359 --> 00:19:36,199 Speaker 1: as lawyers. But from what I can tell, there's just 343 00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:39,600 Speaker 1: nothing happens to you if you ignore a congressional subpoena. 344 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:43,159 Speaker 1: But most people respond to it because I feel like 345 00:19:43,200 --> 00:19:47,320 Speaker 1: the further down the UM food chain you are, the 346 00:19:47,480 --> 00:19:52,960 Speaker 1: more likely Congress is to do something in retaliation to you. Yeah, well, 347 00:19:53,080 --> 00:19:56,240 Speaker 1: let's let's go through the three at least fine, if 348 00:19:56,359 --> 00:20:00,440 Speaker 1: for no other reason than pure folly. So if they 349 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:05,080 Speaker 1: if they vote in in that contempt citation goes through UH. 350 00:20:05,119 --> 00:20:08,399 Speaker 1: It is then under the control of the executive branch. 351 00:20:08,680 --> 00:20:11,400 Speaker 1: And you think, oh great the president or oh great 352 00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:14,600 Speaker 1: the president. It's really neither is the Justice Department, which 353 00:20:14,640 --> 00:20:17,040 Speaker 1: is part of the executive branch. It's up to them 354 00:20:17,080 --> 00:20:20,359 Speaker 1: to decide whether or not they're going to prosecute UH criminally, 355 00:20:20,520 --> 00:20:24,119 Speaker 1: and they're going to say no, They're gonna say then 356 00:20:24,160 --> 00:20:26,320 Speaker 1: we'll talk a lot about executive privilege coming up, but 357 00:20:26,359 --> 00:20:29,879 Speaker 1: they will usually cite that UM and decline to prosecute, 358 00:20:29,920 --> 00:20:32,440 Speaker 1: basically kind of saying, uh, you know what, we don't 359 00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:35,399 Speaker 1: get involved in this stuff, right. So so that is 360 00:20:35,440 --> 00:20:40,160 Speaker 1: specifically when it comes to subpoenaing something from the White 361 00:20:40,160 --> 00:20:43,600 Speaker 1: House or the executive branche. Now, if the if if 362 00:20:43,680 --> 00:20:46,439 Speaker 1: Congress is being ignored by say like the owner of 363 00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:49,359 Speaker 1: the Houston Astros, they can go to the d o 364 00:20:49,480 --> 00:20:52,680 Speaker 1: J and say, Hey, the Houston Astros baseball team owners 365 00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:56,040 Speaker 1: ignoring a subpoena, We want you to go after the guy, 366 00:20:56,080 --> 00:20:59,160 Speaker 1: and they'll go after the guy. It's when it's executive 367 00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:01,720 Speaker 1: privilege that's being cited that the d o J says, 368 00:21:02,040 --> 00:21:04,359 Speaker 1: you know how, it's our jurisdiction to decide whether to 369 00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:07,200 Speaker 1: prosecute this stuff. We're going to decline to do that 370 00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:09,440 Speaker 1: because it's our own people and we're just going to 371 00:21:09,560 --> 00:21:14,920 Speaker 1: consider this an internal executive branch. Matter Number two is uh, 372 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:19,040 Speaker 1: the civil judgment, right, and that's when you need the 373 00:21:19,040 --> 00:21:22,480 Speaker 1: courts to basically enforce this. Go into court and saying 374 00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:26,080 Speaker 1: we need your help to enforce this civil suit against 375 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:28,560 Speaker 1: somebody who stiff this right, Like, you know how you 376 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:30,760 Speaker 1: can go arrest somebody and put him in jail, can 377 00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:33,359 Speaker 1: you do that on our behalf basically, but this is 378 00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:38,040 Speaker 1: super slow, like turtle like slow. Yeah. But I think 379 00:21:38,119 --> 00:21:43,120 Speaker 1: the idea is that, um, the thought that maybe somewhere 380 00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:45,720 Speaker 1: a couple of years down the line, there's going to 381 00:21:45,760 --> 00:21:47,639 Speaker 1: be a judgment against you where you're going to have 382 00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:50,960 Speaker 1: to pay a hundred thousand dollars to Congress or something 383 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:54,280 Speaker 1: like that. There's been like twelve months in jail. Will 384 00:21:54,320 --> 00:21:57,560 Speaker 1: get you to to the table to negotiate, you know, 385 00:21:57,640 --> 00:22:01,040 Speaker 1: what documents they actually want or what testament money they want? Yes, 386 00:22:01,080 --> 00:22:04,239 Speaker 1: just leverage, right. So the third one is something that 387 00:22:04,800 --> 00:22:09,359 Speaker 1: isn't used anymore. Really. It's called inherent contempt power was 388 00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:13,359 Speaker 1: last used in nineteen thirty five. And this is you know, 389 00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:15,840 Speaker 1: this is sort of the jail thing. And while there 390 00:22:15,920 --> 00:22:19,920 Speaker 1: is no capital jail, they do have a holding cell. Yeah, 391 00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:22,879 Speaker 1: and like the sergeant at arms of the Senate or 392 00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:26,440 Speaker 1: the House, depending on who's issuing the subpoena and who 393 00:22:26,520 --> 00:22:30,840 Speaker 1: voted to UM told you in contempt, an armed officer 394 00:22:31,080 --> 00:22:35,040 Speaker 1: of the Congress will show up and say you're under arrest. 395 00:22:35,440 --> 00:22:37,439 Speaker 1: Congress says you're under arrest. You have to come with me. 396 00:22:38,080 --> 00:22:41,119 Speaker 1: Um or as has been kind of boom um bounced 397 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:45,399 Speaker 1: around lately by UM Democrats in the House, replacing the 398 00:22:45,480 --> 00:22:48,560 Speaker 1: idea of jailing somebody, of arresting and jailing them with 399 00:22:48,600 --> 00:22:52,240 Speaker 1: a much much stiff refined than people have traditionally faced, 400 00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:55,000 Speaker 1: something more on the order of I think between twenty 401 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:57,480 Speaker 1: five thousand and two d and fifty thousand dollars I 402 00:22:57,520 --> 00:23:01,399 Speaker 1: think a day actually for for ignoring this kind of stuff, 403 00:23:01,520 --> 00:23:04,560 Speaker 1: which we guess that would get people moving if they 404 00:23:04,600 --> 00:23:07,399 Speaker 1: actually go through with that, Yeah, I would think. So 405 00:23:07,480 --> 00:23:10,639 Speaker 1: get him in the pocketbook, yeah, I mean that hard. 406 00:23:10,840 --> 00:23:13,520 Speaker 1: That's and it pluses the government too. So it's like, hey, 407 00:23:13,560 --> 00:23:16,200 Speaker 1: you know these text credits you're getting, we're taking those 408 00:23:16,240 --> 00:23:18,600 Speaker 1: away in this text return that you were expecting. We're 409 00:23:18,600 --> 00:23:20,480 Speaker 1: gonna hang on to that. Like that's this is where 410 00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:25,920 Speaker 1: they could actually do something. Yeah, I think so. If 411 00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:29,200 Speaker 1: it's not congressional subpoena, if it's just like we're talking 412 00:23:29,240 --> 00:23:32,040 Speaker 1: about a regular court subpoena, it all depends on what 413 00:23:32,119 --> 00:23:37,399 Speaker 1: jurisdiction you're in and the presiding judge that's on that case. Yes, 414 00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:41,680 Speaker 1: but again, because you can be arrested as a matter 415 00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:46,040 Speaker 1: of routine course of of a court, UM, you really 416 00:23:46,040 --> 00:23:49,560 Speaker 1: should respond at least to a subpoena or else. You know, 417 00:23:49,600 --> 00:23:52,000 Speaker 1: the chances of something happening to you from a court 418 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:56,320 Speaker 1: of law are much higher than Congress apparently. So, Um, 419 00:23:56,440 --> 00:23:59,520 Speaker 1: can we talk about case law? Yes, finally we got 420 00:23:59,520 --> 00:24:02,560 Speaker 1: all that boring stuff out of the way. Yeah, this 421 00:24:02,600 --> 00:24:05,600 Speaker 1: first one is kind of interesting. Um. And the way 422 00:24:06,040 --> 00:24:09,080 Speaker 1: the judiciary works in this country is just super fascinating 423 00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:10,400 Speaker 1: to me. The older I get, the more I read 424 00:24:10,400 --> 00:24:13,240 Speaker 1: about it. I'm not becoming illegal wonk by any means 425 00:24:13,520 --> 00:24:17,960 Speaker 1: illegal legal, But I get it, Like, you know, I 426 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:20,120 Speaker 1: get it that people are super into this kind of thing. 427 00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:23,919 Speaker 1: I hadn't realized you've gotten into the judiciary. Yeah, I 428 00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:26,199 Speaker 1: think it's pretty fascinating. What got you into it? Just 429 00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:30,600 Speaker 1: like news, following the news or something or yeah, and 430 00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:34,159 Speaker 1: just sort of reading about a case like in this 431 00:24:34,240 --> 00:24:38,560 Speaker 1: case from eighteen hundred, and then you know precedent and 432 00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:41,600 Speaker 1: what that means and when it when it shouldn't matter 433 00:24:41,680 --> 00:24:44,160 Speaker 1: and should matter, like the one from eighteen hundred you're 434 00:24:44,160 --> 00:24:47,800 Speaker 1: talking about US v. Cooper. Yeah, Thomas Cooper, who was 435 00:24:48,160 --> 00:24:51,879 Speaker 1: a scientist and an attorney and a thorn in the 436 00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:56,040 Speaker 1: side of President John Adams in a big way. Yeah. 437 00:24:56,200 --> 00:25:01,119 Speaker 1: So in I think, yeah, the US past the Sedition Act, 438 00:25:01,680 --> 00:25:06,639 Speaker 1: which said that it's illegal to criticize the US government. Unfortunately, 439 00:25:06,680 --> 00:25:09,199 Speaker 1: when Thomas Jefferson came into office, he said, then we're 440 00:25:09,240 --> 00:25:11,439 Speaker 1: gonna kind of do away with that and keep it 441 00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:15,640 Speaker 1: away forever as much as we can. Um. But there 442 00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:18,000 Speaker 1: was a guy named Thomas Cooper, who, like you said, 443 00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:21,040 Speaker 1: was a thorn in the side of John Adams, and 444 00:25:21,200 --> 00:25:23,800 Speaker 1: he was arrested and prosecuted during a time when the 445 00:25:23,800 --> 00:25:27,040 Speaker 1: Sedition Act was still in effect, and he he lost 446 00:25:27,040 --> 00:25:31,000 Speaker 1: his case. But the way that it relates to subpoenas 447 00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:35,320 Speaker 1: and ignoring subpoenas, and specifically the executive branch ignoring subpoenas, 448 00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:37,480 Speaker 1: is that all the way back in eighteen hundred, when 449 00:25:37,480 --> 00:25:40,440 Speaker 1: the United States was just a couple of decades old, 450 00:25:41,240 --> 00:25:45,199 Speaker 1: this guy, Thomas Cooper, tried to subpoena John Adams to 451 00:25:45,280 --> 00:25:48,600 Speaker 1: come testify as part of this case. And the court said, 452 00:25:49,600 --> 00:25:54,119 Speaker 1: we don't really subpoena presidents. We decided, and that's that 453 00:25:54,240 --> 00:25:56,879 Speaker 1: a precedent for the rest of history. It basically said 454 00:25:57,280 --> 00:26:02,439 Speaker 1: presidents are accepted from the goings on in normal court stuff, 455 00:26:02,480 --> 00:26:05,520 Speaker 1: even when they're directly related to the case. They don't 456 00:26:05,560 --> 00:26:08,400 Speaker 1: have to come, right But that same case, he said, 457 00:26:08,560 --> 00:26:11,800 Speaker 1: but you can subpoena someone from Congress. That's a big 458 00:26:11,800 --> 00:26:14,159 Speaker 1: one too. That was a big one, Um Cooper. It 459 00:26:14,200 --> 00:26:16,520 Speaker 1: didn't work out for Cooper, like you said, he was convicted. 460 00:26:16,960 --> 00:26:19,800 Speaker 1: So none of that mattered except for establishing this president 461 00:26:20,040 --> 00:26:23,960 Speaker 1: President President, you got it in this case. You could 462 00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:27,720 Speaker 1: say it either way, I guess so. So that moves 463 00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:31,199 Speaker 1: us on to seven years later, um U s v. 464 00:26:31,440 --> 00:26:36,040 Speaker 1: Burr Um. This is John Marshall. Chief Justice John Marshall 465 00:26:36,720 --> 00:26:40,400 Speaker 1: headed this one up and basically this had to deal 466 00:26:40,440 --> 00:26:45,199 Speaker 1: with President Thomas Jefferson UM saying, Hey, they want you 467 00:26:45,240 --> 00:26:49,400 Speaker 1: to come to provide these documents. It was a doozy's teacum, 468 00:26:50,600 --> 00:26:56,159 Speaker 1: right do says dose two cease Dooce's teacum. And Jefferson 469 00:26:56,320 --> 00:27:00,200 Speaker 1: was like, hey, here are some of those documents that 470 00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:02,719 Speaker 1: you want, and they're like but where the rest of him? 471 00:27:02,800 --> 00:27:04,960 Speaker 1: He was like, you know, I'm not gonna give you those, 472 00:27:05,040 --> 00:27:06,680 Speaker 1: And I'm also not going to show up because you 473 00:27:06,720 --> 00:27:11,280 Speaker 1: know what, I gotta be presidenting. Yeah, I'm the executive 474 00:27:11,359 --> 00:27:14,560 Speaker 1: branch is too powerful and too or no, too important. 475 00:27:15,080 --> 00:27:18,080 Speaker 1: It's the only branch that's supposed to be open seven 476 00:27:18,160 --> 00:27:21,960 Speaker 1: three six, and I just can't get away, like I'm 477 00:27:22,240 --> 00:27:24,560 Speaker 1: my my work is too important to come be part 478 00:27:24,640 --> 00:27:27,520 Speaker 1: of this, and that gets I think it's less and 479 00:27:27,640 --> 00:27:31,320 Speaker 1: less um able to prove these days. I think, yeah, 480 00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:34,359 Speaker 1: for sure, like you can take off a half a day, right, 481 00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:37,520 Speaker 1: you've got a BlackBerry, you can definitely email, keep keep 482 00:27:37,560 --> 00:27:39,840 Speaker 1: tabs on work while you're gone. But yeah, so I 483 00:27:39,960 --> 00:27:41,720 Speaker 1: thought the same thing too that it does does not 484 00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:45,400 Speaker 1: hold water, but it does set a president for the president. 485 00:27:45,600 --> 00:27:48,760 Speaker 1: Like you were saying to UM in those two cases 486 00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:52,680 Speaker 1: basically say together again, the president doesn't have to come 487 00:27:52,800 --> 00:27:57,040 Speaker 1: be part of this, and um, executive privileges is I 488 00:27:57,119 --> 00:28:00,440 Speaker 1: guess where this came from from this particular the case 489 00:28:00,760 --> 00:28:03,320 Speaker 1: where it's saying like, now the president doesn't have to 490 00:28:03,440 --> 00:28:05,640 Speaker 1: have anything to do with this and the president's documents 491 00:28:05,760 --> 00:28:10,200 Speaker 1: or the president's business and can't be subpoenaed because we're 492 00:28:10,240 --> 00:28:13,359 Speaker 1: going to call this executive privilege, right. And there are 493 00:28:13,600 --> 00:28:17,960 Speaker 1: five basically, uh five types generally of executive privilege that 494 00:28:18,720 --> 00:28:23,960 Speaker 1: have been used thus far. One is presidential communications. Number 495 00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:28,440 Speaker 1: two is the deliberative process. Number three is attorney client communications. 496 00:28:28,560 --> 00:28:33,280 Speaker 1: Big one, uh fourth one is law enforcement investigations. And 497 00:28:33,359 --> 00:28:37,280 Speaker 1: the fifth one is anything uh that's sensitive in terms 498 00:28:37,320 --> 00:28:41,480 Speaker 1: of military or national security or diplomatic relations, that kind 499 00:28:41,480 --> 00:28:44,160 Speaker 1: of thing. And that's the one in particular that UM 500 00:28:44,560 --> 00:28:47,760 Speaker 1: has been upheld over the years is the idea that UM, 501 00:28:48,440 --> 00:28:52,840 Speaker 1: like the there are secrets that the White House has 502 00:28:52,960 --> 00:28:54,840 Speaker 1: that it just needs to be kept or else people 503 00:28:54,880 --> 00:28:57,200 Speaker 1: are going to lose their lives or else, diplomatic ties 504 00:28:57,240 --> 00:28:59,000 Speaker 1: are going to be upset, that kind of stuff, and 505 00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:02,360 Speaker 1: so those should be protected under executive privilege. But the 506 00:29:02,440 --> 00:29:06,440 Speaker 1: rest of the stuff has been subject to scrutiny over 507 00:29:06,480 --> 00:29:10,640 Speaker 1: the years, for sure, Yeah, because obviously an executive president 508 00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:13,280 Speaker 1: is going to try and draw that privilege as broadly 509 00:29:13,320 --> 00:29:16,280 Speaker 1: as possible. Oh yeah, for sure. And that's that's especially 510 00:29:16,320 --> 00:29:19,920 Speaker 1: been the case ever since Nixon onward, at least, where 511 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:24,040 Speaker 1: there's this idea called UM the unitary Executive theory, which 512 00:29:24,120 --> 00:29:27,080 Speaker 1: is basically, like, you know, these are separate branches of government, 513 00:29:27,160 --> 00:29:29,480 Speaker 1: and the executive branches in charge of everything to do 514 00:29:29,600 --> 00:29:32,880 Speaker 1: with The executive branch has none it's none of Congress's business, 515 00:29:33,320 --> 00:29:38,720 Speaker 1: and the UM the executive is basically this extraordinarily powerful 516 00:29:38,840 --> 00:29:44,200 Speaker 1: single person, and that's been UM attempted to be invoked 517 00:29:44,320 --> 00:29:48,760 Speaker 1: improved time and time again in throwing off congressional oversight. 518 00:29:49,120 --> 00:29:50,600 Speaker 1: And that seems to be kind of what we're in 519 00:29:50,640 --> 00:29:53,040 Speaker 1: the midst of right now is a really big test 520 00:29:53,480 --> 00:29:57,680 Speaker 1: of this unitary executive theory in saying, like, no, not 521 00:29:57,840 --> 00:30:00,880 Speaker 1: only just the president, but the your president staff, and 522 00:30:00,880 --> 00:30:05,080 Speaker 1: in fact, the entire executive branch can ignore subpoenas from 523 00:30:05,160 --> 00:30:08,760 Speaker 1: Congress because Congress doesn't have any authority over the executive branch. 524 00:30:09,080 --> 00:30:11,560 Speaker 1: And that's kind of what we're witnessing right now. And 525 00:30:11,680 --> 00:30:13,920 Speaker 1: on the one hand, well, there really there's really just 526 00:30:14,040 --> 00:30:18,080 Speaker 1: one hand. The great value of having an executive like 527 00:30:18,360 --> 00:30:21,920 Speaker 1: almost a UM, well a unitary executive is that if 528 00:30:21,960 --> 00:30:26,320 Speaker 1: you're a vested interest or a very powerful group um, 529 00:30:26,480 --> 00:30:29,160 Speaker 1: you've only got one person to to change over to 530 00:30:29,240 --> 00:30:31,880 Speaker 1: your side, rather than five hundred of them, you know 531 00:30:31,920 --> 00:30:34,960 Speaker 1: what I mean. So it's it's very dangerous. It also 532 00:30:35,080 --> 00:30:37,600 Speaker 1: very much flies in the face of the three branches 533 00:30:37,640 --> 00:30:40,040 Speaker 1: of government and the checks and balances that each one 534 00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:43,400 Speaker 1: is supposed to have over the other, because part of 535 00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:47,840 Speaker 1: part of Congress's role is what's called congressional oversight that 536 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:51,360 Speaker 1: says we're responsible for making sure you're not getting out 537 00:30:51,440 --> 00:30:55,040 Speaker 1: of control the president, the executive branch has veto power 538 00:30:55,160 --> 00:30:57,560 Speaker 1: saying Congress, you guys are nuts. This is this is 539 00:30:57,640 --> 00:30:59,680 Speaker 1: no law that should be passed. I'm going to say 540 00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:04,200 Speaker 1: no to this law. And then the judiciary has judicial review. 541 00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:07,480 Speaker 1: They get to say this law is unjust or this 542 00:31:07,960 --> 00:31:13,800 Speaker 1: UM executive agency's action is illegal. UM. And by doing this, 543 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:16,760 Speaker 1: these three branches keep one another from getting too strong. 544 00:31:17,120 --> 00:31:20,000 Speaker 1: And the unitary executive theory flies in the face of 545 00:31:20,080 --> 00:31:22,240 Speaker 1: that and says, nope, the executive branch is more powerful 546 00:31:22,280 --> 00:31:24,080 Speaker 1: than all of them. The other two don't have checks 547 00:31:24,120 --> 00:31:26,320 Speaker 1: over them, and let's just see what happens from here. 548 00:31:26,880 --> 00:31:31,560 Speaker 1: That's right. Should we talk about Watergate? Yeah, so everyone, 549 00:31:31,760 --> 00:31:33,560 Speaker 1: we should do a full episode on Watergate. I think 550 00:31:33,600 --> 00:31:36,440 Speaker 1: I've said that before. I agree, but um, everyone knows 551 00:31:36,480 --> 00:31:41,240 Speaker 1: what happened there. President Nixon was involved in some hinky 552 00:31:41,280 --> 00:31:47,400 Speaker 1: activities and uh congressional committees. There was one special prosecutor 553 00:31:47,480 --> 00:31:50,880 Speaker 1: in particular name Archibald Cox, who said, wait a minute, 554 00:31:51,280 --> 00:31:53,960 Speaker 1: you've got these secret tapes you've been taping people in 555 00:31:54,040 --> 00:31:57,280 Speaker 1: the Oval office. Turn them over. Here's a subpoena. We 556 00:31:57,440 --> 00:31:59,840 Speaker 1: demand that you turn that over. Along with some other stuff, 557 00:32:00,280 --> 00:32:05,040 Speaker 1: and we want you to come here and testify as well. 558 00:32:05,840 --> 00:32:07,720 Speaker 1: And of course Nixon was like, I don't think that 559 00:32:07,760 --> 00:32:11,600 Speaker 1: stuff's gonna happen. Um, here you go. Here's some of 560 00:32:11,640 --> 00:32:15,440 Speaker 1: these tapes. Just ignore all the parts where it seems 561 00:32:15,480 --> 00:32:19,040 Speaker 1: like it was heavily edited and sounds real funny because 562 00:32:19,600 --> 00:32:21,320 Speaker 1: someone who was just in the room was no longer 563 00:32:21,400 --> 00:32:23,960 Speaker 1: in the room, and there are non sequiturs all over 564 00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:26,400 Speaker 1: the place. It's like that videotape of the guy who 565 00:32:26,480 --> 00:32:29,360 Speaker 1: got the high score in Donkey Kong. Right, yeah, you 566 00:32:29,440 --> 00:32:34,080 Speaker 1: know what I mean. Um, But executive privilege was what 567 00:32:34,760 --> 00:32:37,600 Speaker 1: what he claimed he was protected by. So this went 568 00:32:37,680 --> 00:32:41,080 Speaker 1: to the Supreme Court in nineteen seventy four with United 569 00:32:41,120 --> 00:32:45,640 Speaker 1: States v. Nixon, and Chief Justice Burger's opinion sided everything 570 00:32:45,720 --> 00:32:49,600 Speaker 1: from Justice Marshall's Marbury v. Madison to the one we 571 00:32:49,720 --> 00:32:54,960 Speaker 1: just talked about, United States v. Burr. And basically it's 572 00:32:55,080 --> 00:32:57,560 Speaker 1: they're they're walking a fine line there with the judiciary 573 00:32:57,600 --> 00:33:01,120 Speaker 1: because they're saying, listen, the president needs to be confidential 574 00:33:01,600 --> 00:33:06,440 Speaker 1: and protected when executing these duties, these constitutional duties, on 575 00:33:06,520 --> 00:33:09,840 Speaker 1: the one hand, but on the other hand, uh, due 576 00:33:09,880 --> 00:33:12,520 Speaker 1: process of laws is an is an important thing, and 577 00:33:12,560 --> 00:33:14,840 Speaker 1: that's what we're in charge of. So they kind of 578 00:33:15,080 --> 00:33:18,440 Speaker 1: ended up wanting to protect each of the branch's needs. 579 00:33:18,760 --> 00:33:20,760 Speaker 1: It seems like, yeah, and they I think they did 580 00:33:20,840 --> 00:33:23,320 Speaker 1: a very good job. And the fact that it was unanimous, UM, 581 00:33:23,440 --> 00:33:27,360 Speaker 1: I think Rehnquist was involved with some of the people involved, 582 00:33:27,440 --> 00:33:30,880 Speaker 1: so he um recused himself from voting, but it was 583 00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:34,360 Speaker 1: unanimous eight to zero vote saying no, you gotta hand 584 00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:39,120 Speaker 1: the tapes over because we don't think that you're just 585 00:33:39,400 --> 00:33:44,160 Speaker 1: trying to protect um, like intelligent secrets or military secrets 586 00:33:44,240 --> 00:33:47,640 Speaker 1: or diplomatic secrets. We think you're just basically using the 587 00:33:47,800 --> 00:33:51,840 Speaker 1: cover of executive privilege to cover your own behind and 588 00:33:52,080 --> 00:33:55,760 Speaker 1: that does not supersede due process in a court of law, 589 00:33:56,200 --> 00:33:58,440 Speaker 1: which is going on over here with you know, the 590 00:33:58,760 --> 00:34:01,640 Speaker 1: trials of these guys who broke into the water Gate. Um, 591 00:34:02,240 --> 00:34:05,120 Speaker 1: so you gotta hand over the tapes, and in doing so, you, 592 00:34:05,320 --> 00:34:09,360 Speaker 1: like you said, he cited UM another case Marbury v. Madison, 593 00:34:09,680 --> 00:34:12,040 Speaker 1: And that's a really really important case in here too, 594 00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:17,399 Speaker 1: which I think we should talk about starting now. Well, 595 00:34:17,520 --> 00:34:20,120 Speaker 1: I wanted to mention another quick thing, um, before you 596 00:34:20,160 --> 00:34:23,520 Speaker 1: dive into Marbury. Another case US v. A. T. And T. 597 00:34:23,760 --> 00:34:26,960 Speaker 1: This just basically laid out that the courts are only 598 00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:29,279 Speaker 1: going to get involved if everyone really tried in good 599 00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:32,600 Speaker 1: faith to work it out beforehand. So like basically said, 600 00:34:32,600 --> 00:34:35,560 Speaker 1: we're the last stop here. Don't just go run into 601 00:34:35,600 --> 00:34:38,280 Speaker 1: the Supreme Court or the courts in general to figure 602 00:34:38,320 --> 00:34:41,080 Speaker 1: this stuff out for you, right, Although I think that 603 00:34:41,320 --> 00:34:44,919 Speaker 1: the Constitution says that the Supreme Court are the ones 604 00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:47,000 Speaker 1: who are supposed to be running the show when it 605 00:34:47,120 --> 00:34:50,640 Speaker 1: comes to like a high enough official. A case regarding 606 00:34:50,680 --> 00:34:52,960 Speaker 1: a high enough official, Oh yeah, all all A T 607 00:34:53,080 --> 00:34:55,719 Speaker 1: and T. The case said was you have to really 608 00:34:55,760 --> 00:34:57,640 Speaker 1: try to work it out amongst yourself before it even 609 00:34:57,719 --> 00:35:00,680 Speaker 1: gets to us. I got you, Okay, yeah, gosh, I see, 610 00:35:00,680 --> 00:35:03,600 Speaker 1: I see what you're saying. Yep ye faith of course. 611 00:35:04,719 --> 00:35:10,680 Speaker 1: So right, So in Marbury versus Madison, that one basically said, hey, 612 00:35:10,920 --> 00:35:14,799 Speaker 1: there's this one component here. Yes, the the um we've 613 00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:20,000 Speaker 1: established that the legislative branchs um Congress can issue subpoenas, 614 00:35:20,480 --> 00:35:23,759 Speaker 1: and that the executive branch can exert executive privilege and 615 00:35:23,840 --> 00:35:27,400 Speaker 1: say no to some subpoenas under some cases. But um, 616 00:35:27,560 --> 00:35:30,239 Speaker 1: we're also going to say In US v. Nixon in 617 00:35:30,360 --> 00:35:33,600 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy four that the court can say no, you're 618 00:35:33,880 --> 00:35:37,359 Speaker 1: right to secrecy. Is is um overshadowed by a right 619 00:35:37,440 --> 00:35:40,880 Speaker 1: to do process in most cases. But the one that 620 00:35:41,120 --> 00:35:44,239 Speaker 1: was that really says at the center of this is 621 00:35:44,320 --> 00:35:47,480 Speaker 1: the judiciary and that the judiciary has a right to 622 00:35:47,719 --> 00:35:52,080 Speaker 1: decide cases where the legislative and executive branches are in dispute. 623 00:35:52,640 --> 00:35:55,840 Speaker 1: Is this Marbury versus Madison case from I think eighteen 624 00:35:55,880 --> 00:35:59,040 Speaker 1: o four, and it was, from what I understand, a 625 00:35:59,200 --> 00:36:07,319 Speaker 1: master stroke of um legal eagleness by by Justice John Marshall. Yeah. 626 00:36:07,560 --> 00:36:10,520 Speaker 1: So is along and short of that one that that 627 00:36:10,719 --> 00:36:14,160 Speaker 1: Secretary of St James Madison he was trying to withhold 628 00:36:14,760 --> 00:36:17,520 Speaker 1: the commission of William Marbury. Was that the case, Yeah, 629 00:36:17,560 --> 00:36:20,400 Speaker 1: because the outgoing Adams had packed the courts with friendly 630 00:36:20,560 --> 00:36:24,000 Speaker 1: judges and the commissions had not all been mailed out, 631 00:36:24,080 --> 00:36:27,839 Speaker 1: and Madison was withholding some and they basically said, listen, man, 632 00:36:27,880 --> 00:36:31,680 Speaker 1: you can't do this like it is your job. You 633 00:36:31,760 --> 00:36:35,200 Speaker 1: shall commission all the officers of the United States. It's 634 00:36:35,239 --> 00:36:38,480 Speaker 1: like right there in black and white, and you lose, right. 635 00:36:38,560 --> 00:36:41,520 Speaker 1: So that was one part of it. But what Marshall 636 00:36:41,800 --> 00:36:44,080 Speaker 1: figured out and what made this a master stroke of 637 00:36:44,200 --> 00:36:48,200 Speaker 1: legal legalness is that the Um there was a something 638 00:36:48,320 --> 00:36:52,120 Speaker 1: called a a writ of mandamus, which basically says you 639 00:36:52,320 --> 00:36:54,840 Speaker 1: have to do this, which had been granted to the 640 00:36:54,880 --> 00:36:59,319 Speaker 1: Supreme Court in Um the like an act. In sev. Nine, 641 00:37:00,320 --> 00:37:04,239 Speaker 1: Marshall said, so, yes, Um, Madison has to give this 642 00:37:04,680 --> 00:37:06,640 Speaker 1: over like this is just part of his duties, and 643 00:37:06,800 --> 00:37:10,120 Speaker 1: he's following a law that Congress made, so he's subject 644 00:37:10,200 --> 00:37:12,759 Speaker 1: to that law as a minister of the government. But 645 00:37:12,840 --> 00:37:15,719 Speaker 1: at the same time, the rid of mandimous power that's 646 00:37:15,719 --> 00:37:19,839 Speaker 1: the Supreme Court has been given were is unconstitutional. We're 647 00:37:19,920 --> 00:37:22,680 Speaker 1: not in a position to issue a rid of manimous 648 00:37:22,960 --> 00:37:26,320 Speaker 1: because under the Constitution we're not given that right. And 649 00:37:26,440 --> 00:37:30,319 Speaker 1: so in doing that, he established the Supreme Court as 650 00:37:30,400 --> 00:37:34,480 Speaker 1: the interpreter of what law is constitutional and what isn't. 651 00:37:35,160 --> 00:37:37,439 Speaker 1: And he did that by saying, this law that gives 652 00:37:37,560 --> 00:37:41,080 Speaker 1: us this amazing power is unconstitutional. So he did it 653 00:37:41,120 --> 00:37:43,719 Speaker 1: by taking power away from the Supreme Court. But in 654 00:37:43,840 --> 00:37:47,120 Speaker 1: doing so he gave the Supreme Court a tremendous um 655 00:37:47,440 --> 00:37:51,480 Speaker 1: a tremendous advantage over the centuries in interpreting what law 656 00:37:51,560 --> 00:37:54,080 Speaker 1: is constitutional and what isn't and placing itself as the 657 00:37:54,200 --> 00:37:58,280 Speaker 1: arbiter of disputes between the legislative branch and the executive branch, 658 00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:00,520 Speaker 1: which is I mean, that's a lot of what the 659 00:38:00,560 --> 00:38:04,759 Speaker 1: Supreme Court decides is constitutionality and it's it all comes 660 00:38:04,800 --> 00:38:08,840 Speaker 1: from the A ten oh four case landmark legal legal. 661 00:38:09,360 --> 00:38:11,680 Speaker 1: Should you take another break? Sure? Man? All right, we'll 662 00:38:11,680 --> 00:38:13,800 Speaker 1: take another break and talk a little bit about a 663 00:38:13,840 --> 00:38:15,920 Speaker 1: little bit more about Nixon and what some other presidents 664 00:38:15,960 --> 00:38:18,080 Speaker 1: have done when slapped with the saboena right after this, 665 00:38:19,600 --> 00:38:43,200 Speaker 1: so we all know what happened to Nixon. Um, but 666 00:38:43,600 --> 00:38:47,200 Speaker 1: the Justice did rule that, hey, dude, you gotta comply 667 00:38:47,320 --> 00:38:50,759 Speaker 1: with this Deucey's tectum here and you gotta turn over 668 00:38:50,840 --> 00:38:56,160 Speaker 1: these tapes. So Nixon uh turned over tapes. He did, 669 00:38:56,239 --> 00:38:57,840 Speaker 1: and it all worked out in the end. Everybody's like, 670 00:38:57,960 --> 00:39:00,279 Speaker 1: this is what you were protecting. This is fine, man, 671 00:39:00,440 --> 00:39:03,080 Speaker 1: state president for a couple more terms, and he did, 672 00:39:03,560 --> 00:39:06,640 Speaker 1: and the world was a better place for it, that's right. Uh. 673 00:39:06,880 --> 00:39:12,000 Speaker 1: Flash forward to uh to Bill Clinton. That was okay. 674 00:39:12,160 --> 00:39:15,320 Speaker 1: So he said, hey, listen, man, what goes on and 675 00:39:15,480 --> 00:39:18,160 Speaker 1: that was much better. What happens in the Oval office 676 00:39:18,640 --> 00:39:22,920 Speaker 1: stays in the oval office. Executive privilege. Um, they're like 677 00:39:23,400 --> 00:39:27,319 Speaker 1: even that stuff. And he said, well, you know it's 678 00:39:27,400 --> 00:39:33,200 Speaker 1: it's executive privilege falls under executive privilege. So he said, 679 00:39:33,200 --> 00:39:37,560 Speaker 1: I have executivemmunity, I have that privilege, and UM, neither 680 00:39:37,640 --> 00:39:40,239 Speaker 1: me nor my aids have to respond to these subpoenas. 681 00:39:41,200 --> 00:39:45,640 Speaker 1: And then he fell into line. Eventually new Gingrich got 682 00:39:45,760 --> 00:39:49,200 Speaker 1: him into line. Well, yeah, and and largely because of 683 00:39:49,440 --> 00:39:53,040 Speaker 1: US v. Nixon. UM, they said, you know what, you 684 00:39:53,160 --> 00:39:57,520 Speaker 1: can't stand by this broad executive privilege, stand behind this 685 00:39:57,680 --> 00:40:01,560 Speaker 1: wall that you've built. You're gonna have to comply. And 686 00:40:01,880 --> 00:40:06,680 Speaker 1: he did eventually, right, which is traditionally what happens, Like 687 00:40:06,960 --> 00:40:11,759 Speaker 1: the Congress issues subpoenas, executive branch ignores it, the the 688 00:40:11,920 --> 00:40:16,040 Speaker 1: Congress holds the executive branch in contempt, and the judiciary 689 00:40:16,160 --> 00:40:19,719 Speaker 1: comes in and almost always says, no, you're over exerting 690 00:40:19,760 --> 00:40:23,000 Speaker 1: your executive privilege to what they're saying, yeah, which you 691 00:40:23,040 --> 00:40:26,280 Speaker 1: know that gives me hope because in the past president 692 00:40:26,360 --> 00:40:29,920 Speaker 1: has been set that due process wins out over executive 693 00:40:29,920 --> 00:40:33,080 Speaker 1: privilege kind of across the board, it seems like. But 694 00:40:33,280 --> 00:40:37,320 Speaker 1: that that only holds um as long as two things 695 00:40:37,920 --> 00:40:43,080 Speaker 1: are upheld. One that UM, the Supreme Court is an 696 00:40:43,200 --> 00:40:47,640 Speaker 1: independent body, regardless of who appointed the judges. And then 697 00:40:47,719 --> 00:40:52,400 Speaker 1: two if the as long as the executive branch recognizes 698 00:40:52,560 --> 00:40:56,440 Speaker 1: the authority of the Supreme Court. This is where we 699 00:40:56,840 --> 00:41:01,400 Speaker 1: are starting. Like some people can see far enough along 700 00:41:01,480 --> 00:41:04,960 Speaker 1: this horizon that hey, this path we're heading down right now, 701 00:41:05,680 --> 00:41:08,919 Speaker 1: there's a point where we could reach where they could 702 00:41:08,960 --> 00:41:12,839 Speaker 1: be there could be a Supreme Court decision that says, yes, 703 00:41:12,960 --> 00:41:18,440 Speaker 1: executive branch, you have to hand over these aids for testimony. 704 00:41:18,719 --> 00:41:23,040 Speaker 1: They have to come testify about um, you know, Russian 705 00:41:23,120 --> 00:41:25,680 Speaker 1: interference in the two thousand and sixteen election, or this 706 00:41:25,880 --> 00:41:30,480 Speaker 1: call between the president and the Ukrainian president UM. And 707 00:41:30,600 --> 00:41:34,000 Speaker 1: the executive branch still says no. And that is the 708 00:41:34,120 --> 00:41:37,640 Speaker 1: point that everyone says, we have no idea what happens? 709 00:41:37,719 --> 00:41:41,279 Speaker 1: Then we have no idea. Do you go arrest these 710 00:41:41,480 --> 00:41:44,440 Speaker 1: you know, the secretary of the Treasury. Do you go 711 00:41:44,680 --> 00:41:48,000 Speaker 1: arrest these cabinet members? This has never been done before, 712 00:41:48,360 --> 00:41:51,439 Speaker 1: Like what remedy do you really have? And that's where 713 00:41:51,600 --> 00:41:55,719 Speaker 1: that's where we are with testing out this unitary executive theory. 714 00:41:56,000 --> 00:42:00,480 Speaker 1: How far can you kick the um the kind of 715 00:42:00,600 --> 00:42:03,760 Speaker 1: unwritten rules of the constitution, Well, there's lots of written 716 00:42:03,800 --> 00:42:07,280 Speaker 1: rules with Constitution, but also like the the unwritten rules 717 00:42:07,840 --> 00:42:10,920 Speaker 1: and procedures that kind of have have guided all of 718 00:42:11,000 --> 00:42:13,560 Speaker 1: this for so long. What happens when those things just 719 00:42:13,680 --> 00:42:18,319 Speaker 1: stop being recognized as valid. What do you do? Well? 720 00:42:18,480 --> 00:42:21,759 Speaker 1: I don't know, because in the in the past, through 721 00:42:21,800 --> 00:42:23,680 Speaker 1: our history, and this is on both sides of the 722 00:42:23,880 --> 00:42:29,560 Speaker 1: of the aisle, Democrats and Republicans have always, uh, not successfully, 723 00:42:29,600 --> 00:42:31,680 Speaker 1: but they've always tried to argue that courts should not 724 00:42:32,320 --> 00:42:35,280 Speaker 1: get in the subpoena battles and should not get involved 725 00:42:35,400 --> 00:42:39,960 Speaker 1: with uh this executive privilege claim, right, and in particular, 726 00:42:40,160 --> 00:42:45,840 Speaker 1: Trump's latest um, Trump's legal counsel's latest position, which I 727 00:42:45,920 --> 00:42:50,960 Speaker 1: think came out in September of this year, is it's 728 00:42:51,000 --> 00:42:54,200 Speaker 1: a doozy. It basically takes And here's here's something we 729 00:42:54,320 --> 00:42:56,680 Speaker 1: need to remember here, Like this is not brand new 730 00:42:56,760 --> 00:42:59,640 Speaker 1: with Donald Trump, right, Like if you if you can't 731 00:42:59,680 --> 00:43:03,279 Speaker 1: stand Donald Trump, this is this is his White House. 732 00:43:03,719 --> 00:43:07,360 Speaker 1: His administration is building on stuff that previous presidents have 733 00:43:07,400 --> 00:43:10,560 Speaker 1: built on both Democrats and Republicans alike. There has been 734 00:43:10,600 --> 00:43:15,359 Speaker 1: a real push basically since Nixon, to to instill as 735 00:43:15,440 --> 00:43:19,280 Speaker 1: much power into the presidency and the executive branch as possible, 736 00:43:19,520 --> 00:43:22,680 Speaker 1: and this is a an extreme version of that, but 737 00:43:22,920 --> 00:43:26,000 Speaker 1: it's still kind of following the same path. But what 738 00:43:26,120 --> 00:43:29,480 Speaker 1: they're what they're doing is more aggressive than what previous 739 00:43:29,480 --> 00:43:33,560 Speaker 1: administrations have done. And they're basically saying this, if you 740 00:43:33,800 --> 00:43:37,840 Speaker 1: subpoena us, uh, the executive branch, If you the Congress 741 00:43:37,960 --> 00:43:40,600 Speaker 1: subpoena one of our people, any of our people, for 742 00:43:40,840 --> 00:43:45,840 Speaker 1: any reason whatsoever, the President can say, no, do not 743 00:43:46,800 --> 00:43:49,440 Speaker 1: do not respond to that subpoena, do not go before Congress, 744 00:43:49,480 --> 00:43:51,440 Speaker 1: do not hand over those documents. I'm the president, I'm 745 00:43:51,520 --> 00:43:55,520 Speaker 1: ordering you to. Um. Congress can issue a rid of 746 00:43:55,600 --> 00:43:59,000 Speaker 1: contempt or find the person in contempt, but that's it. 747 00:43:59,120 --> 00:44:01,480 Speaker 1: That's where it ends be Because the president can say, well, 748 00:44:01,920 --> 00:44:05,040 Speaker 1: this is an inter branch dispute between the legislative branch 749 00:44:05,239 --> 00:44:10,680 Speaker 1: and the executive branch. And because the UM, the judiciary 750 00:44:11,120 --> 00:44:13,720 Speaker 1: can't be drafted or shouldn't be drafted in to solve 751 00:44:13,800 --> 00:44:18,319 Speaker 1: these disputes. UM, that's all it will remain is an 752 00:44:18,360 --> 00:44:21,600 Speaker 1: inter branch dispute. And in the Supreme Court really has 753 00:44:21,719 --> 00:44:26,440 Speaker 1: no purview in deciding these cases. And when you have that, 754 00:44:26,640 --> 00:44:29,960 Speaker 1: then that means that the executive branch has been removed 755 00:44:30,719 --> 00:44:33,799 Speaker 1: from the oversight of law, it becomes above the law. 756 00:44:33,920 --> 00:44:36,480 Speaker 1: The law no longer applies to it. And so whatever 757 00:44:36,560 --> 00:44:39,640 Speaker 1: the president wants to do, whatever the President directs his 758 00:44:39,840 --> 00:44:43,960 Speaker 1: or her agencies to do, is a de facto legal 759 00:44:44,360 --> 00:44:47,000 Speaker 1: just because the president and the executive branch are not 760 00:44:47,239 --> 00:44:50,160 Speaker 1: subject to the laws of the land, including rulings by 761 00:44:50,239 --> 00:44:53,560 Speaker 1: the highest court in the United States. That's what the 762 00:44:53,680 --> 00:44:56,279 Speaker 1: latest argument is setting us up for. Yeah, I mean, 763 00:44:56,360 --> 00:44:58,560 Speaker 1: this is what the Justice Department. There was a great article, 764 00:44:59,239 --> 00:45:01,680 Speaker 1: uh and the wh im Post by Harry Littman called 765 00:45:02,120 --> 00:45:07,359 Speaker 1: the Justice Department's outlandish and arrogant position on congressional subpoenas. Uh. 766 00:45:07,440 --> 00:45:09,279 Speaker 1: And this is from the article. It said, according to 767 00:45:09,320 --> 00:45:13,040 Speaker 1: the Justice Department, there is no constitutional or statutory basis 768 00:45:13,120 --> 00:45:16,000 Speaker 1: for a congressional committee to try to enforce his subpoenas 769 00:45:16,000 --> 00:45:19,120 Speaker 1: in the federal courts where the executive branch has decided 770 00:45:19,160 --> 00:45:22,920 Speaker 1: not to do so. Right. So basically, yeah, they said no, 771 00:45:23,320 --> 00:45:25,520 Speaker 1: and so they said no, and yeah, and all of 772 00:45:25,560 --> 00:45:29,720 Speaker 1: this arose from an opinion, um, regarding Trump's tax returns, 773 00:45:29,760 --> 00:45:32,000 Speaker 1: I believe. Yeah, that's sort of where the whole thing 774 00:45:32,120 --> 00:45:35,360 Speaker 1: got started. Yeah, where the Treasury Secretary Stephen Manuchian said no, 775 00:45:35,480 --> 00:45:38,399 Speaker 1: we're not doing that, and Congress said, well, we're holding 776 00:45:38,440 --> 00:45:40,640 Speaker 1: you in contempt. And then the Legal Office of Legal 777 00:45:40,719 --> 00:45:43,640 Speaker 1: Counsel from the White House issued this opinion, and I 778 00:45:43,719 --> 00:45:46,040 Speaker 1: mean it's a doozy, but it's also saying like, what 779 00:45:46,120 --> 00:45:48,600 Speaker 1: are you guys gonna do? What can you do? And 780 00:45:48,760 --> 00:45:51,920 Speaker 1: that's that's the that's the big question now well, and 781 00:45:52,000 --> 00:45:54,240 Speaker 1: it makes you wonder what would have happened if darryl 782 00:45:54,280 --> 00:45:58,520 Speaker 1: Isa's UH bill had gone through? That makes um subpoena's 783 00:45:58,560 --> 00:46:02,919 Speaker 1: super enforceable because you know, we've seen it on again 784 00:46:03,000 --> 00:46:06,600 Speaker 1: on both sides of the aisle, where one UH one 785 00:46:06,640 --> 00:46:10,640 Speaker 1: political party will get mad and and vote something in 786 00:46:10,880 --> 00:46:14,000 Speaker 1: that will come back to staying them later on on 787 00:46:14,120 --> 00:46:17,279 Speaker 1: the hind end. It is. But also you also can't 788 00:46:17,320 --> 00:46:23,600 Speaker 1: help but wonder, like will like is our republicans um 789 00:46:24,800 --> 00:46:30,320 Speaker 1: loyalty to Congress greater than the republicans loyalty to the 790 00:46:30,400 --> 00:46:34,080 Speaker 1: executive branch? Like there's it's like you know, in any restaurant, 791 00:46:34,120 --> 00:46:37,040 Speaker 1: there's tension between the white staff and the kitchen staff, 792 00:46:37,560 --> 00:46:39,440 Speaker 1: but they're all working at the same restaurant. They're all 793 00:46:39,480 --> 00:46:42,160 Speaker 1: trying to do the same thing. We just get high quality, 794 00:46:42,280 --> 00:46:45,320 Speaker 1: nourishing meals out to the patrons who are citizens like 795 00:46:45,440 --> 00:46:48,320 Speaker 1: you and me. Right, but there's still tension. You're not 796 00:46:48,480 --> 00:46:50,359 Speaker 1: you're not doing it fast enough for you. You burn 797 00:46:50,440 --> 00:46:53,279 Speaker 1: these fries or something like that. But we benefit from 798 00:46:53,320 --> 00:46:56,120 Speaker 1: that tension. We the patrons of this restaurant that we 799 00:46:56,239 --> 00:46:59,680 Speaker 1: call America. Well, what what happen? End of the day. 800 00:46:59,719 --> 00:47:02,200 Speaker 1: Every one just goes behind the restaurant and smokes a 801 00:47:02,239 --> 00:47:04,719 Speaker 1: joint by the dumpster. You know, maybe that would make 802 00:47:04,760 --> 00:47:07,600 Speaker 1: our our congress or o government work more efficiently, if 803 00:47:07,719 --> 00:47:10,279 Speaker 1: if the executive branch and the legislative branch and the 804 00:47:10,560 --> 00:47:13,759 Speaker 1: judicial branch all got together and burned a doobie again 805 00:47:13,800 --> 00:47:17,319 Speaker 1: there by the grease trap, right exactly. I don't even 806 00:47:17,320 --> 00:47:20,640 Speaker 1: remember what my analogy was was meant to. But we 807 00:47:20,800 --> 00:47:24,920 Speaker 1: it's fine, but we um like that we are witnessing 808 00:47:25,040 --> 00:47:29,160 Speaker 1: some historical stuff right now that that is not normal 809 00:47:29,360 --> 00:47:32,640 Speaker 1: at all. I mean, like from Watergate stuff, and that 810 00:47:32,960 --> 00:47:35,959 Speaker 1: I'm not even relating to impeachment proceedings. I'm just saying, 811 00:47:36,040 --> 00:47:41,759 Speaker 1: like this level of ignoring congressional subpoenas maybe unprecedented, and 812 00:47:41,880 --> 00:47:44,920 Speaker 1: if not, then the closest historical precedent we have is 813 00:47:45,040 --> 00:47:49,359 Speaker 1: the Watergate scandal. Yeah, but I think Congress is one 814 00:47:49,520 --> 00:47:53,160 Speaker 1: recourse to say that's fine, that's fine, molution, you just 815 00:47:53,320 --> 00:47:56,160 Speaker 1: ignore us. We're going over here as Congress and we 816 00:47:56,280 --> 00:48:00,279 Speaker 1: are altering this um. This our ability to a old 817 00:48:00,280 --> 00:48:02,799 Speaker 1: people to say no, actually we can find you two 818 00:48:03,840 --> 00:48:07,080 Speaker 1: dollars a day and we will do it. That that 819 00:48:07,280 --> 00:48:10,560 Speaker 1: could be the leverage that gets people to actually comply 820 00:48:10,719 --> 00:48:13,760 Speaker 1: with these subpoenas. But we'll find out, because if Congress 821 00:48:13,800 --> 00:48:16,080 Speaker 1: has to actually pass a law to do that, the 822 00:48:16,160 --> 00:48:19,000 Speaker 1: president has veto power over that well. And there are 823 00:48:19,040 --> 00:48:21,200 Speaker 1: also all sorts of other things have nothing to do 824 00:48:21,320 --> 00:48:25,480 Speaker 1: with this that Congress uses this leverage and or negotiation 825 00:48:25,719 --> 00:48:28,279 Speaker 1: tactics like hey, do you want us to push through 826 00:48:28,400 --> 00:48:32,279 Speaker 1: some of these uh appointees or should we just keep 827 00:48:32,320 --> 00:48:35,480 Speaker 1: stalling forever? Um. All kinds of that stuff is on 828 00:48:35,560 --> 00:48:37,879 Speaker 1: the table. But when you have a president that comes 829 00:48:37,920 --> 00:48:40,880 Speaker 1: out in January and says, uh, you know what, I 830 00:48:40,920 --> 00:48:43,040 Speaker 1: don't mind stall all you want. I like the term 831 00:48:43,120 --> 00:48:47,680 Speaker 1: acting um because that gives me more leeway, then all 832 00:48:47,719 --> 00:48:51,000 Speaker 1: of a sudden, that's not leverage anymore. You got anything else? No, 833 00:48:51,360 --> 00:48:53,359 Speaker 1: very curious to see what happens with this McGan case. 834 00:48:53,440 --> 00:48:55,719 Speaker 1: Probably nothing, and too will it be the crumbling of 835 00:48:55,760 --> 00:48:59,839 Speaker 1: our democracy? Who knows. We'll find out in a few years. Um, 836 00:49:00,000 --> 00:49:01,920 Speaker 1: if you want to know more about subpoenas, we'll just 837 00:49:02,000 --> 00:49:04,480 Speaker 1: go look it up. And if you get a subpoena yourself, 838 00:49:04,560 --> 00:49:07,120 Speaker 1: get a lawyer. Don't be stupid. Uh. And since I 839 00:49:07,160 --> 00:49:09,680 Speaker 1: said don't be stupid, friends, it's time for a listener mail. 840 00:49:11,960 --> 00:49:19,080 Speaker 1: I'm gonna this is about Obama's um healthcare. I got 841 00:49:19,120 --> 00:49:20,719 Speaker 1: a bunch of stuff about this. I didn't realize I 842 00:49:20,800 --> 00:49:24,040 Speaker 1: made a prediction. Okay, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, that's gonna 843 00:49:24,040 --> 00:49:28,359 Speaker 1: have been sitting in the in the coffers, guys, about 844 00:49:28,400 --> 00:49:30,280 Speaker 1: fifteen months ago, I started my journey through the stuff. 845 00:49:30,280 --> 00:49:32,240 Speaker 1: You should know. Archives have been on a steady campaign 846 00:49:32,280 --> 00:49:36,640 Speaker 1: about twelve to sixteen episodes a week. That's healthy. Uh, 847 00:49:36,880 --> 00:49:38,759 Speaker 1: why I'm writing though? Ten years ago, Chuck made a 848 00:49:38,760 --> 00:49:42,279 Speaker 1: bold prediction and the rumors, the myths and truths behind 849 00:49:42,360 --> 00:49:49,000 Speaker 1: Obama's healthcare plan episodes? Did we do like four of those? Um? Wed, yeah, 850 00:49:49,040 --> 00:49:51,560 Speaker 1: I think we did for you're right, but this one 851 00:49:51,640 --> 00:49:55,759 Speaker 1: was specifically about that episode. Uh, Chuck, I said, call 852 00:49:55,840 --> 00:49:57,600 Speaker 1: me in ten years if there are no more private 853 00:49:57,640 --> 00:50:00,800 Speaker 1: insurance companies, because that was one of the big knox 854 00:50:00,880 --> 00:50:02,640 Speaker 1: on it. It's like, this is gonna do away with 855 00:50:02,680 --> 00:50:07,399 Speaker 1: private insurance and I'll buy you a beer. Magic Um. 856 00:50:08,080 --> 00:50:11,640 Speaker 1: Chuck legitimately said, I'm on record, and he extended the 857 00:50:11,680 --> 00:50:14,360 Speaker 1: bet to anyone out there. Now that statement was more 858 00:50:14,400 --> 00:50:17,560 Speaker 1: of a gentleman's bet than a legal promise. However, Uh, 859 00:50:17,680 --> 00:50:20,719 Speaker 1: that is more binding in my opinion. Nonetheless, I would 860 00:50:20,760 --> 00:50:23,040 Speaker 1: like to congratulate you, Chuck. I was getting worried there 861 00:50:23,040 --> 00:50:26,000 Speaker 1: for a second on the expiration of that term and 862 00:50:26,080 --> 00:50:28,560 Speaker 1: that promissory statement. That could have been a pretty pricey 863 00:50:28,640 --> 00:50:32,479 Speaker 1: liability that things turned out differently. A million beers, Chuck, 864 00:50:33,239 --> 00:50:35,520 Speaker 1: every single one of our listeners would have written in 865 00:50:35,600 --> 00:50:40,839 Speaker 1: and asked for it. That is from Jack Simmons. Nice going, Jack, 866 00:50:40,880 --> 00:50:42,920 Speaker 1: and welcome to the club. We're glad you've found us, 867 00:50:43,000 --> 00:50:45,680 Speaker 1: and even more so that you like us, so we'll 868 00:50:45,719 --> 00:50:47,160 Speaker 1: do our best to keep it up for you and 869 00:50:47,239 --> 00:50:49,960 Speaker 1: everybody else that emails a couple of months, although he's 870 00:50:49,960 --> 00:50:52,719 Speaker 1: probably forgotten about it. Sorry, that's right, he's moved on 871 00:50:52,800 --> 00:50:55,800 Speaker 1: to Pod Save America. That's right. Uh, Well, if you 872 00:50:55,880 --> 00:50:57,560 Speaker 1: want to get in touch with us like Jack did. 873 00:50:58,280 --> 00:51:00,640 Speaker 1: You can go on to stuff I few Should Know 874 00:51:00,760 --> 00:51:03,239 Speaker 1: dot com check out our social links There. You can 875 00:51:03,280 --> 00:51:05,560 Speaker 1: also send us an email, wrap it up, spank it 876 00:51:05,640 --> 00:51:08,240 Speaker 1: on the bottom, and send it off to Stuff podcast 877 00:51:08,360 --> 00:51:13,759 Speaker 1: at iHeart radio dot com. Stuff You Should Know is 878 00:51:13,800 --> 00:51:16,359 Speaker 1: a production of iHeart Radio's How Stuff Works. For more 879 00:51:16,440 --> 00:51:18,879 Speaker 1: podcasts for my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app. 880 00:51:18,960 --> 00:51:21,600 Speaker 1: Apple podcasts are where ever you listen to your favorite shows.