'Admissions': Judges reportedly using Trump's own words to smash lawyer's arguments
Donald Trump's brashness may have helped win him the presidency, but his words are being used against him as his administration fights a growing number of lawsuits against efforts to enact his agenda, according to reporting by The Associated Press.
"Nowhere has this been clearer than in cases involving his adviser Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency," wrote reporters Chris Megerian and Lindsay Whitehurst.
They cited a recent case revolving around whether Musk overstepped his authority when tearing down USAID, the agency that provides financial assistance "to countries recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty, and engaging in democratic reforms."
Justice Department attorneys argued that Musk was "merely a presidential adviser, not the actual leader of DOGE."
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"But Trump has said otherwise — in speeches, interviews and public remarks — and [U.S. District Judge Theodore] Chuang quoted him extensively in his decision," the article read. Chuang ultimately ruled that as head of DOGE, Musk likely violated the Constitution.
Attorney Norm Eisen, who represented USAID employees in the lawsuit, told the AP, “Trump’s words were essential, central and indispensable. His admissions took what would have been a tough case and made it into a straightforward one.”
"The looseness with words is a shift from predecessors like Democratic President Barack Obama, who used to say that he was careful because anything he said could send troops marching or markets tumbling," Megerian and Whitehurst wrote, adding, "Trump has no such feeling of restraint, and neither do other members of his Republican administration such as Musk."
They also cited Anthony Coley, head of public affairs at the Justice Department during the Biden administration, who told them, "Statements involving civil litigation were always coordinated between his office and the West Wing."
Coley described Trump's penchant for saying exactly what's on his mind whenever he likes as a "ready-fire-aim approach of doing business,” that's not expected to change anytime soon.