Brian Tyler Cohen interviews Congressman Jamie Raskin about House Judiciary Committee chair Jim Jordan’s referral of special counsel Jack Smith for alleged perjury. Raskin argues the referral is baseless, saying Smith answered questions accurately about whether he subpoenaed communications content, while Republicans later complained he did not address information obtained via the US National Archives rather than subpoena.
The conversation then shifts to Raskin’s broader criticism of what he describes as politicised Justice Department conduct under the Trump administration, including claims that courts and grand juries are increasingly sceptical of government filings. Raskin cites, as an example, the reported withdrawal of subpoenas directed at New York Times reporters in connection with reporting on a Qatari jet, presenting it as part of a pattern of harassment.
Raskin’s central update is procedural: he says all 212 House Democrats have signed a discharge petition intended to force a floor vote to block an alleged $1.776bn fund that he says Trump wants to use to compensate January 6 defendants and other allies through settlement and judgement mechanisms. He says Democrats would need six Republicans to join to trigger a vote and reports private conversations with GOP members who, he claims, are wary of crossing Trump.
Raskin also alleges ongoing litigation over the arrangement, claiming a Florida judge rejected a related settlement as collusive and referred lawyers for potential sanctions, describing the case as effectively “Trump versus Trump”.
Jamie Raskin alleges Judge Williams in Florida rejected what he described as a proposed settlement and said the case appeared to be a fraud on the court. He also claims Todd Blanche and other lawyers were referred to Bar Counsel under Rule 11.
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