'What a load of nonsense': Ex-prosecutor laughs at Trump lawyers' Judge Chutkan threat
Appearing on MSNBC on Saturday afternoon, former U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade made fun of Donald Trump's lawyers for suggesting they will run to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to bail them out if she rules against there attempt to get special counsel Jack Smith off the case.
Sitting down with fill-in MSNBC host Melissa Murray, McQuade was asked, "In that hearing last week and in Judge Chutkan's courtroom, there was a really stunning moment where Trump's legal counsel noted they would be challenging the appointment of Jack Smith as special counsel and they noted they were directed to do it by Justice Clarence Thomas."
"Of course I think they were referring to Justice Thomas' concurrence in the Trump immunity case which questioned the authority of special counsels. What you make of this idea of a sitting Supreme Court justice essentially acting as a kind of shadow defense counsel here?" Murray asked.
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Before the host finished posing her question, McQuade was already smiling and quickly retorted, " Yeah, what a load of nonsense and Judge Chutkan was really not having any of it."
"She said, 'You know, in this circuit the answer is pretty clear; the DC circuit has said that appointment of a presidential special counsel is perfectly lawful.'"
"It seems inappropriate for me for a Supreme Court justice to be telegraphing to the world how he might rule on some issue that is not before the court but Judge Chutkan to her credit was not taking the bait," she added.
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