Everyone in DC Better “Lawyer Up”

When we watch television at my house, we watch a lot of crime and mystery programming. I call them murder shows. Some are more intense than others, darker, but Hollywood, movies, and television – the entertainment industry – always make it a priority to frame lawyering up as a bad thing. As if trying to play the interrogation game without someone on your side who understands it is evidence that you are trying to hide something.

But you should never talk to law enforcement without a lawyer present. Period. So when these shows set scenes with wealthy or important people sitting by themselves across the table from some steely-eyed detective, it’s hard not to laugh out loud. They’d never just show up to talk; if they did, they were idiots. Especially when they can afford legal representation, the dramatic hook is always when some evidence – usually circumstantial – implicates them in wrongdoing, and they say, “I’d like my lawyer now.”

Did you get anything? No, and he’s lawyered up.

In the past three weeks, at least a few folks have lawyered up. Some to bring suits to prevent the president from executing control over funding this or that. It’s mostly a delay tactic and it looks like the Trump team set traps for that very eventuality that could inevitably result in the Supreme Court affirming his authority. While we wait and watch the laundry turning over and over as DOGE releases lists of disbursements to Democrat NGOs and questionable foreign aid priorities, the Department of Government Efficiency has made an announcement.

At the President’s direction, it will investigate public servants whose salaries do not explain the vast wealth they have accumulated while in office. Following the money is another common TV detective theme

The Geller report curated a handful of X posts as examples.

The USAID Raid and the payment mapping at treasury are likely to keep the conflict of interest flying monkeys busy and not just the politicians, bureaucrats, and media outlets who were all getting paid through USAID directly or via a no-longer shadowy web of NGOs, but judges.

Anyone who has ever watched cop shows knows two other truths Hollywood likes to peddle. There are always dirty cops and judges on the “take.”

Judge John Bates ordered the Trump Administration to republish web pages related to gender treatments and surgeries. He doesn’t have that authority, and Trump probably ignored him, but his hubris opened him up to scrutiny he’d not otherwise have experienced—a judicial equivalent of the Streisand effect.

While it is possible the judge was unaware of this tidbit (plausible deniability), the likelihood is equivalent to NH Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander not sharing intelligence to which she is entitled with her hubby, Jake Sullivan, who just had his clearance revoked. The Maggster could be indicted if she “shared” and Jake let something slip on CNN or MSNBC.

In other words, everyone in DC needs to lawyer up. Trump is here, and he has promised taxpayers transparency and accountability from the people who would otherwise be focused on hindering or undermining his agenda. It’s pretty brilliant. Nuke USAID from orbit, payment map Treasury, then every other bloated agency, and as the cockroaches scatter, trap them under mason jars and scrutinize their otherwise unlikely prosperity.

The federal government may find itself with a sudden inmate housing crisis.

If we could only be so lucky.

Author

  • Steve MacDonald

    Steve is a long-time New Hampshire resident, award-winning blogger, and a member of the Board of Directors of The 603 Alliance. He is the owner of Grok Media LLC and the Managing Editor, Executive Editor, assistant editor, Editor, content curator, complaint department, Op-ed editor, gatekeeper (most likely to miss typos because he has no editor), and contributor at GraniteGrok.com. Steve is also a former board member of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire, The Republican Volunteer Coalition, has worked for or with many state and local campaigns and grassroots groups, and is a past contributor to the Franklin Center for Public Policy.

    View all posts
Share to...