The Ezra Klein Show

Two Attorneys Rank the Severity of Trump’s Indictments


Listen Later

With four ongoing criminal investigations, Donald Trump is the most indicted president in U.S. history. After years of defying unwritten norms, he will now be subject to a criminal justice system defined by norms and precedents. What does due process look like for a former president?

Ken White is a former federal prosecutor, a practicing criminal defense lawyer and a co-host of the podcast “Serious Trouble.” He writes the popular newsletter The Popehat Report, extensively covering the ins and outs of criminal trials. Among the many commentators on Trump’s unprecedented legal troubles, White stands out for his “lawsplainers,” which analyze the gap between what the law says and what it actually does.

This conversation walks through each of the four major criminal cases against Trump. Our guest host David French asks White why he loathes the overuse of the RICO statute and whether it was appropriately used in the Georgia election interference indictment. They also discuss the Florida judge whose “functionally lawless” decision halted parts of the Mar-a-Lago investigation, White’s view that prosecutors can get away with much more in state court than in federal court, how the district attorney in the Georgia case is approaching this “circuslike” indictment, why Trump’s legal intent is both more and less complicated than the public discourse suggests and much more.

This episode was hosted by David French, a columnist at The New York Times. Previously, he was a senior editor and co-founder of The Dispatch and a contributing writer at The Atlantic.

This episode contains strong language.

Book Recommendations:

Pax by Tom Holland

The Shadow Docket by Stephen Vladeck

The Enchanters by James Ellroy

Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at [email protected].

You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast, and you can find Ezra on Twitter @ezraklein. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs.

This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Rollin Hu. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris, with Kate Sinclair and Mary Marge Locker. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld. Our senior editor is Annie-Rose Strasser. The show’s production team also includes Emefa Agawu and Kristin Lin. Original music by Isaac Jones. Audience strategy by Kristina Samulewski and Shannon Busta. The executive producer of New York Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser. And special thanks to Sonia Herrero and Isaac Jones.

Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Ezra Klein ShowBy New York Times Opinion

  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3

4.3

13,197 ratings


More shows like The Ezra Klein Show

View all
Modern Love by The New York Times

Modern Love

8,851 Listeners

Fresh Air by NPR

Fresh Air

38,492 Listeners

The New Yorker Radio Hour by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The New Yorker Radio Hour

6,758 Listeners

The Book Review by The New York Times

The Book Review

3,874 Listeners

The Political Scene | The New Yorker by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The Political Scene | The New Yorker

3,992 Listeners

The Gray Area with Sean Illing by Vox

The Gray Area with Sean Illing

10,741 Listeners

Popcast by The New York Times

Popcast

1,502 Listeners

Pivot by New York Magazine

Pivot

9,502 Listeners

The Run-Up by The New York Times

The Run-Up

2,069 Listeners

Inside The Times by The New York Times

Inside The Times

142 Listeners

Pod Save America by Crooked Media

Pod Save America

87,174 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

112,351 Listeners

Radio Atlantic by The Atlantic

Radio Atlantic

2,308 Listeners

Change Agent by The New York Times

Change Agent

1,513 Listeners

Caliphate by The New York Times

Caliphate

12,629 Listeners

Charm City by The New York Times

Charm City

307 Listeners

Interesting Times with Ross Douthat by New York Times Opinion

Interesting Times with Ross Douthat

7,067 Listeners

The Bulwark Podcast by The Bulwark

The Bulwark Podcast

12,176 Listeners

The Latest by The New York Times

The Latest

468 Listeners

The Candidates by The New York Times

The Candidates

51 Listeners

Jungle Prince by The New York Times

Jungle Prince

2,319 Listeners

The Choice by New York Times Opinion

The Choice

380 Listeners

Rabbit Hole by The New York Times

Rabbit Hole

6,686 Listeners

Hard Fork by The New York Times

Hard Fork

5,470 Listeners

Day X by The New York Times

Day X

1,500 Listeners

The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart by Comedy Central

The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart

10,803 Listeners

The Interview by The New York Times

The Interview

1,555 Listeners

On with Kara Swisher by Vox Media

On with Kara Swisher

3,431 Listeners

The Run-Up (2016) by The New York Times

The Run-Up (2016)

11 Listeners

The Opinions by The New York Times Opinion

The Opinions

535 Listeners

The Argument by New York Times Opinion

The Argument

23 Listeners

The Run-Up Guide to 2024 by The New York Times

The Run-Up Guide to 2024

0 Listeners