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kathleenclark.bsky.social
Kathleen Clark
@kathleenclark.bsky.social
6.2K followers 240 following 1.9K posts
Attorney - Professor - Views are my own, not my employer. she/her
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Reposted by Kathleen Clark
jonathanbernstein.bsky.social
Quite right. The president and the "branch" that the president sets up - WH staff, CEA, etc. - are merely extensions of the president. By contrast, Exec Branch departments and agencies are set up by the president *and* Congress and are creatures of both. That's the US system. Always has been.
jamellebouie.net jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 10h
and judge pan gets at what i was gesturing towards earlier today: that this idea that the purpose of the executive branch is to effectuate the political agenda of the president is extra-constitutional. it has no basis in the text or the history for that matter!
December 5, 2025 at 6:06 PM
kathleenclark.bsky.social
Spoke with @dfriedman.bsky.social about Tom Homan & corruption at DHS.

The fact that Homan’s acceptance of $50,000 cash did not disqualify him from a govt job sends the message to companies seeking to feed at the DHS trough that they can use such corrupt methods to obtain government contracts.
Border czar’s former clients cash in on Trump’s immigration crackdown
“So we’ve been trying to get access to Tom Homan…”
www.motherjones.com
December 5, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Reposted by Kathleen Clark
schwellenbach.bsky.social
New story out on how a number of White House Border Czar Tom Homan’s former clients are now winning massive federal contracts. Ethics experts say there is an appearance of corruption - w/ @dfriedman.bsky.social & @russchoma.bsky.social

www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Border czar’s former clients cash in on Trump’s immigration crackdown
“So we’ve been trying to get access to Tom Homan…”
www.motherjones.com
December 5, 2025 at 1:05 PM
kathleenclark.bsky.social
Important insights from @pbump.com:

“Nearly every element of Trump's second term … orbit[s] around the idea that he (& to a lesser extent his allies) … should not have to face accountability. …
cryptocurrency … [is] a space where he & his family & friends can do what they want” w/o accountability
Nearly every element of Trump's second term in office has orbited around the idea that he (and to a lesser extent his allies) should not have to face accountability. The shadowy moneymaking element of cryptocurrency obviously appeals to the president, but so does the idea that it's a space where he and his family and friends can do what they want. Sometimes, those two outcomes overlap: People looking to build relationships with Trump have simply invested millions in his crypto products to earn pardons or access or both. People who are old enough - say, at least 1? — will recall that there was a time in which American businesses and entrepreneurs and politicians and others in positions of power held some reasonable expectation of being constrained by rules or laws. They didn't like this, admittedly, and those constraints were often imperfectly enforced. Both by design and by adoption, cryptocurrency has helped investors sidestep such constraints. By design and in practice, Trump has used his return to the executive mansion to remove the constraints binding himself, his allies and his donors. It isn't simply that the president has bound himself to the crypto industry, to their mutual benefit. It's that he has worked to impose the ethos on which the crypto industry operates, a winking disdain for the rules and an every-Trump-for-himself approach to power. It's an ethos that has now suffused the country. The American system of checks and balances, it turns out, was not as robust as it seemed when faced with a culture unabashed about leveraging political polarization to treat any checks as invalid. What we now have little choice but to accept is that, while being president may not be based on thin air, it, too, can be highly volatile and facilitate unlawful behavior. F
December 4, 2025 at 7:35 AM
Reposted by Kathleen Clark
kathleenclark.bsky.social
Even more evidence that Trump is a
pro-corruption,
pro-crime
President:

Trump pardons wealthy businessman even though his own Justice Department “had lauded the indictment of Timothy J. Leiweke as an effort to root out corruption”

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/03/u...
The indictment against Mr. Leiweke accused him of killing a competing bid from a rival company to build the Moody Center Arena - which ultimately cost $375 million to develop. In exchange for getting the rival company to drop its competing bid, the indictment said, Mr. Leiweke promised to give the rival company kickbacks in the form of subcontracting work on the arena project. In the end, the rival company backed off, and Mr. Leiweke's company submitted the sole qualified bid to build the arena. According to the indictment, Mr. Leiweke ultimately reneged on the agreement after winning the contract and Oak View Group did not award the promised subcontracts.
December 4, 2025 at 6:15 AM
kathleenclark.bsky.social
There, I fixed it.

Congress established — and named — the US Institute of Peace by statute.
Trump doesn’t have authority to re-name it after himself by fiat.

Headline writers shouldn’t attribute to Trump power that he claims but doesn’t actually have.

www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/...
Trump [Purports to] Rename Institute of Peace for Himself Workers installed the president's name on the Washington institute, thrusting it back into the spotlight as it is set to host the signing of a peace deal between Rwanda and Congo.
December 4, 2025 at 5:03 AM
kathleenclark.bsky.social
Yet more evidence that Trump is a
pro-corruption,
pro-fraud
President:
kenvogel.bsky.social Ken Vogel @kenvogel.bsky.social · 2d
NEW: The commutation Trump issued to David Gentile wipes away all further fines & restitution.

Gentile had been sentenced to 7 years for his role in a $1.6B scheme that defrauded thousands of investors.

Prosecutors had been seeking $15.5M in forfeiture.

www.justice.gov/pardon/media...
December 4, 2025 at 2:20 AM
kathleenclark.bsky.social
We’ve had corrupt presidents before (for example: the Nixon-ITT scandal, Clinton’s pardon of Marc Rich, etc.),
but Trump is our first affirmatively pro-corruption, pro-bribery president.
Promoting corruption is Trump’s central policy achievement.
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d
Trump announces a pardon of Henry Cuellar: "I am hereby announcing my full and unconditional PARDON of beloved Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar, and Imelda. Henry, I don’t know you, but you can sleep well tonight — Your nightmare is finally over!"
Trump announces a pardon of Henry Cuellar: "The Radical Left Democrats are a complete and total threat to Democracy! They will attack, rob, lie, cheat, destroy, and decimate anyone who dares to oppose their Far Left Agenda, an Agenda that, if left unchecked, will obliterate our magnificent Country. Because of these facts, and others, I am hereby announcing my full and unconditional PARDON of beloved Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar, and Imelda. Henry, I don’t know you, but you can sleep well tonight — Your nightmare is finally over!"
December 3, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Reposted by Kathleen Clark
kathleenclark.bsky.social
The Trump administration is not only corrupt,
it’s pro-corruption.

Trump repeatedly rewards corruption.
johnsipher.bsky.social John Sipher @johnsipher.bsky.social · 5d
“He once boasted that he would “stuff the drugs up the gringos’ noses.” He accepted a $1 million bribe from El Chapo to allow cocaine shipments to pass through Honduras.”

Now Trump set him free.

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/n...
The Ex-President Whom Trump Plans to Pardon Flooded America With Cocaine
www.nytimes.com
November 30, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Reposted by Kathleen Clark
kathleenclark.bsky.social
Trump: The Openly Pro-Corruption President

Trump -- through AG Bondi -- disbanded the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force.

bsky.app/profile/stev...
May 11, 2025 at 8:26 PM
kathleenclark.bsky.social
“Trump’s promise to pardon former President of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, who was a major drug trafficker, suggests Trump is not so much opposed to drug trafficking, he just wants a cut.”
November 29, 2025 at 3:27 PM
kathleenclark.bsky.social
Indiana state legislator — a Republican —
calls out White House official for violating federal Hatch Act &
calls out Trump administration for creating an environment of impunity for such violations

dailyjournal.net/2025/11/26/s...
Walker said he would have reported the alleged violation to federal authorities "if I thought that there was anyone of integrity in Washington that would follow through on my accusation and actually cause someone to lose their job over it." "I refused (the invitation), but the underling who reached out to me is trying to influence the election on my dime," Walker told The Republic. "That individual works for me. He works for you. He's on my payroll, he's on your payroll, and he's campaigning on company time. That's a violation of the Hatch Act. He's a federal employee. He works in the White House. But does anyone care about the rules anymore? Not that I can tell."
November 29, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Reposted by Kathleen Clark
zacheverson.com
“Did an officer have a higher allegiance than the one to the Fuehrer? At Nuremberg dozens of generals excused their war crimes by answering in the negative. They had to obey orders, they said.”

- Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, p. 603
November 25, 2025 at 12:15 AM
Reposted by Kathleen Clark
kimlanelaw.bsky.social
And for soldiers who feel that they are in that situation, reach out to the Orders Project. www.ordersproject.com
The Orders Project: Legal Guidance for Military Personnel
The Orders Project helps military personnel navigate legal orders with confidence. Understand your rights and options today.
www.ordersproject.com
November 28, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Reposted by Kathleen Clark
bcfinucane.bsky.social
Recalling that the position of NSC legal adviser—currently vacant—was created in response to Iran-Contra.
November 22, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Reposted by Kathleen Clark
petersagal.bsky.social
In honor of Larry Summers, I asked the female members of my college class (1987) to say if they had any experiences with sexual harassment by teachers/professors, back when this was tolerated as, I dunno, the cost of attending college, and OH MY GOD.
November 21, 2025 at 12:13 AM
kathleenclark.bsky.social
“The moral and pedagogical implications of inaction are grave. …
Summers is a towering figure. …
But Harvard must hold its faculty to basic moral and behavioral standards, however great their accolades.”
joshuajfriedman.com Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 15d
"Women at Harvard deserve educators who respect them."
bakerdphd.bsky.social Dominique Baker @bakerdphd.bsky.social · 16d
"By any consistent standard, if Summers is unfit to work for each of these institutions [from which he resigned], he is equally unfit to teach at our school. Harvard should not be the only institution in America where Summers remains above reproach."

🔥🔥🔥

www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
November 20, 2025 at 11:33 AM
kathleenclark.bsky.social
A classic non-denial denial:

Left:
ProPublica reports that WH aide Paul Ingrassia sent to DHS a written “**request** to return the electronics to the Tates.”

Right:
Ingrassia’s lawyer says: “‘Mr. Ingrassia never **ordered** that the Tate Brothers' devices be returned
to them.’”
In his written request, a copy of which was reviewed by ProPublica, Ingrassia chided authorities for taking the action, saying the seizure of the Tates' devices was not a good use of time or resources. The request to return the electronics to the Tates, he emphasized, was coming from the White House. Ingrassia's lawyer, Edward Paltzik, said in a text message: "Mr. Ingrassia never ordered that the Tate Brothers' devices be returned to them, nor did he say — and nor would he have ever said - that such a directive came from the White House. This story is fiction, simply not true." When questioned about whether Ingrassia had asked authorities to return the devices, even if he did not order them to, Paltzik declined to comment, explaining that "the word 'ask' is inappropriate because it is meaningless in this context. He either ordered something or he didn't. And as I said, he did NOT order anything."
November 18, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Reposted by Kathleen Clark
ndrew.bsky.social
every epstein email is some creep complaining about MeToo and then being like “oh before i forget, any advice on how to use my position of authority to force women into sleeping with me?”
November 17, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Reposted by Kathleen Clark
kathleenclark.bsky.social
It’s no wonder that Summers repeatedly sought Epstein’s counsel about how to obtain sex from the mentee.

Summers, like Epstein, is a sexual predator.

Summers wanted to improve his sexual predation skills, so he sought advice from an expert — Epstein.
November 18, 2025 at 7:54 AM
kathleenclark.bsky.social
💯👇
cpo10za.bsky.social Serenity Now! @cpo10za.bsky.social · 18d
One of your most moving pieces, Chris. With all that’s going on in the world, it’s easy to glide past DHS’ offensive reference to E. B. White’s book. I’m glad you took the time to dig into why it’s important not to overlook. Thank you.
November 18, 2025 at 6:59 AM
kathleenclark.bsky.social
Former Harvard president Lawrence Summers apparently needs remedial moral education.

Based on his statements today, he doesn’t understand the nature of his wrong.

He invokes the language of emotion—causing pain, repairing relationships—as if marital infidelity were …

www.cnn.com/2025/11/17/p...
"I am deeply ashamed of my actions harm and recognize the pain [harm] they [I] have caused. I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein," Summers said. "While continuing to fulfill my teaching obligations, I will be stepping back from public commitments as one part of my broader effort to rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me."
November 18, 2025 at 5:35 AM
Reposted by Kathleen Clark
kathleenclark.bsky.social
It was on Friday — not today — when Trump told a woman reporter:
'Quiet. Quiet, Piggy.’

people.com/donald-trump...
• During a Nov. 14 flight on Air Force One, Trump was asked about the Epstein files, including three recently-released emails which mentioned him by name • When asked if there was anything "incriminating" in Epstein's emails, Trump pointed a finger in a female reporter's face and snapped. 'Quiet. Quiet, Piggy.’
November 18, 2025 at 2:16 AM
Reposted by Kathleen Clark
donmoyn.bsky.social
From two years ago: "The third part of Mr. Trump’s authoritarian blueprint is to create a legal framework that would allow him to use govt resources to protect himself, attack his political enemies & force through his policy goals w/o congressional approval."
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/what-i-wro...
What I wrote in the New York Times about Trump's authoritarian plans
The stakes are high, and so are the odds
donmoynihan.substack.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:25 PM
kathleenclark.bsky.social
Lawrence Summers: “I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein.”

Has he also taken “full responsibility” for:
- using a racial slur to refer to a mentee?
- pressuring this mentee to have sex with him?

www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
= The Harvard Crimson "I am deeply ashamed of my actions and recognize the pain they have caused. I take full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein," Summers wrote to The Crimson. He is currently a senior fellow at the left-leaning think tank Center for American Progress, a paid columnist at Bloomberg News, and serves on the board of directors at Open AI. A spokesperson for Bloomberg declined to comment on Summers' future with the outlet on Monday. "While continuing to fulfill my teaching obligations, I will be stepping back from public commitments as one part of my broader effort," he added in his statement.
November 18, 2025 at 1:00 AM