Legal AF by MeidasTouch - Trump Gets NEWS HE FEARED as Top GOP Makes HIS MOVE

Episode Date: August 22, 2024

Federalist Society and conservative icon and lifelong Republican Judge Luttig has just given his full-throated endorsement of Kamala Harris, calling the Democratic Party the only true protector of the flame of democracy in America. Michael Popok who has interviewed Judge Luttig provides his commentary. Sign up for a one-dollar per month trial at https://shopify.com/legalaf Visit https://meidastouch.com for more! Join the Legal AF Patreon: https://Patreon.com/LegalAF Remember to subscribe to ALL the MeidasTouch Network Podcasts: MeidasTouch: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/meidastouch-podcast Legal AF: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/legal-af MissTrial: https://meidasnews.com/tag/miss-trial The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-politicsgirl-podcast The Influence Continuum: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-influence-continuum-with-dr-steven-hassan Mea Culpa with Michael Cohen: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/mea-culpa-with-michael-cohen The Weekend Show: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-weekend-show Burn the Boats: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/burn-the-boats Majority 54: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/majority-54 Political Beatdown: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/political-beatdown Lights On with Jessica Denson: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/lights-on-with-jessica-denson On Democracy with FP Wellman: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/on-democracy-with-fpwellman Uncovered: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/maga-uncovered Coalition of the Sane: https://meidasnews.com/tag/coalition-of-the-sane Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is Michael Popak, Legal AF. Hear that sound? That's the sound of another shoe dropping against Donald Trump. This time, the form of a constitutional scholar, right-wing, Federalist society member, arch-conservative, never having voted for a Democrat before, former Judge J. Michael Ludwig, who I've interviewed a number of times here on the Midas Touch Network and on Legal AF, is endorsing Kamala Harris. Going so far as to say in a five page written statement, which I'm going to read from in a moment, that American democracy and constitutional republic hangs in the balance, that the Republican Party has abdicated its

responsibilities as one of the two gatekeepers for our constitutional democracy, and that he has no other choice but to vote and endorse Kamala Harris. Not just vote for her, endorse her. Think about that. J. Michael Ludwig, who would be on the Mount Rushmore of Federalist Society, conservative constitutional scholars and judges, who's the head or has been the head or the trustee of the American Constitution Center, is a member of the Federalist Society, is getting off the sidelines as he's been, is now a patriot as he's always been and is coming forward and saying the right thing, which is we have to vote for Kamala Harris to save, to save our constitutional democracy.

It is our only hope, to paraphrase Star Wars. That's where we are with Judge Ludwig. It shouldn't come as no surprise when I interviewed Judge Ludwig a number of times on this podcast, he would tell me and our audience about the fact that the soul of America is up for grabs, especially related to the Supreme Court. And he's worried about the imbalance on the Supreme Court and the fact that they have taken what used to be a three co-equal branches of government and created an out of control Leviathan president who sits above it all.

Here's a clip from an interview so you remember and you know and orient yourself on who J. Michael Ludwig is. Let's roll that clip. Michael, the Supreme Court's decision in Trump against United States represents the un-souling of America. America's democracy and the rule of law are the heart and soul of America.

It is our democracy and the rule of law that has made America the envy of the world and the rule of law that has made America the envy of the world and the beacon of freedom to the world for almost 250 years. The Supreme Court cut the heart and soul out of America with this abominable decision of constitutional interpretation, or should I say so-called constitutional interpretation. The defining maxim, if you will, of America since its founding has been that in America, no man is above the law. Okay. Now, let's talk about the evolution of J. Michael Ludwig.

Judge Ludwig is going to be back with me doing an interview, but this was his statement just a couple of days ago endorsing the vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris. That is actually the title of his piece here. Here we go. Almost four years ago on January 6, 2021, a stake was driven through the heart of America's democracy. These are the words of Michael Ludwig. And on that day, American democracy was left teetering on a knife's edge. On that day, the prescribed day for choosing the American president, there was not a peaceful transfer of power in the United States of America for the first time in almost 250 years since the founding of the nation. Because of the former presidents, that's Trump's, knowingly false claims, many Americans, especially

young Americans tragically, have begun to question whether constitutional democracy is the best form of self-government for America. The 2020 presidential election was not stolen from the former president. He knows that. It was the former president who attempted to steal the 2020 presidential election from the American people, not they from him. To attempt to steal an election in the United States of America is an attempt to steal America's democracy. He can't even bring himself to say the name of Donald Trump, which I appreciate.

Judge Looted continues, for the former president to continue to persist in knowingly false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen is a profound affront to the American democracy and to the constitution of the United States, an affront without precedent in all of American history. Yet to this day, to this day, still not only does the former president and now the Republican Party, of which he is the standard bearer, continue to falsely claim that the former president won the 2020 election, he and his party, and this is now Judge Ludic walking away from his party or the party has left him, defiantly refuse even to pledge that they will honor and respect the vote and the will of the people in the upcoming presidential election.

In this defiant refusal, the Republican candidate for the presidency and the Republican party have literally taken America political hostage, threatening the nation with the specter of another January 6th on January 6th, 2025, if the former president again loses his campaign for the presidency by the vote of the American people. The peaceful transfer of power from one president to the next and the commitment of presidential candidates and their respective political parties

to the peaceful transfer are fundamental tenets of the constitutional republic," Judge Ludwig wrote as part of his endorsement of Kamala Harris. America's democracy and, along with it, its rule of law were almost stolen on January 6 by the former president of the United States, who is today asking us to return him to the highest office. The fact remains to this day that even the loftiest and noblest of policies and policy differences will be comparatively inconsequential. Here comes the endorsement of Kamala, unless and

until we Americans bring to an end the war on America's democracy that was instigated by the former president and his allies on Jan 6th. For their part, the former president and the Republican Party have determined to prosecute their war against America's democracy. Think of those words, prosecuting a war, holding America's democracy hostage. Think of the terminology he's using here, that if they continue to prosecute their war, it will be to a catastrophic end. As a consequence for our part, we the people must bring this unholy war

to an end now." He concludes by saying, the time for America's choosing has come. It is time for all Americans to stand and affirm that they believe in American democracy, the Constitution, the rule of law, and want for America the same or whether they do not. It's time to stand and take aside man is what he's saying to the American people. America's two political parties are the political guardians of American democracy. Regrettably, in this election, there is only one political party and one candidate for the presidency that can claim the mantle of defender and protector of America's democracy, the Constitution, and the rule of law. As a result, I will unhesitatingly vote for the Democratic Party's candidate for the presidency of the United States, Vice

President of the United States, Kamala Harris. He assumes that her public policy views are vastly different from hers, from his, but he is indifferent to this election as to her policy views on any issues other than America's democracy, the Constitution, and the rule of law as I believe all Americans should be. There you have it, J. Michael Ludwig, constitutional scholar, Federalist Society, right-wing conservative, having never voted for a Democrat before, saying there he has no choice and Americans have no choice. That this is not a choice between there's no Hobbesian choice here. He said this is about

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Because businesses that grow, grow with Shopify. Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at Shopify.com slash LegalAF, all lowercase. Go to Shopify.com slash LegalAF and lowercase now to grow your business no matter what stage you're in. That's Shopify.com slash LegalAF. And he sees only one party, one party that is adult, that is responsible to protect the American democratic flame, and that is the Democratic Party.

And so he is voting and endorsing full-throatedly, without reservation, without hesitation, Kamala Harris. This worm has turned. This is not just J. Michael Lutig. This is Republicans for Harris. This is in the form of Nikki Haley voters for Harris. This is people that are turning their back and doing what they can to finally tell the Republican Party that it is immoral, that it is hollowed out, that it has left its responsibility, abdicated its responsibility to protect America, and it needs to sever its ties with MAGA and with Donald Trump. There's only one way voters can do that. It's a binary process. Sure, you can donate money.

Sure, you can do campaign activity. Sure, you can go to rallies, but there's only one real way. It's voting. It's voting on election day. The switch is on or the switch is off. It's a binary choice, up or down day. The switch is on or the switch is off. It's a binary choice, up or down. And J. Michael Ludwig is saying there is no real choice here. If you want to

support American democracy and avoid the carnage of landscape and dystopic future of Donald Trump, you only have one choice. It's the Democratic Party. There is no other party in America. The other is a cult following. And it's been properly called out with the moral authority and from a platform that only a former federal judge at the level of J. Michael Ludwig, who frequently sends in amicus, friends of the court brief to the United States Supreme Court, who got off the sidelines of history, who guided Mike Pence to the right decision not to take up fake certificates at Jan 6th to recognize the real true casted ballots for Joe Biden and to ensure the peaceful transfer of power. That was J. Michael Ludwig advising Mike Pence at the moment when it mattered

with the tweet heard around the world, telling him he had no choice but to certify that election for Joe Biden. That J. Michael Ludwig is now, is now leaving the Republican party in order to full throatedly, enthusiastically, and without reservation endorse Kamala Harris. We like to think on the Midas Touch Network and illegal AF, our audience is as concerned

with being the guardians of democracy as J. Michael Ludwig. That's why Judge Ludwig appears regularly here on the Midas Touch Network. That's why he comes to talk to this particular audience. It matters to him and it matters to him what we're doing here. Let me end with a clip from J. Michael Lutig talking about why he believes talking to the Midas Touch Network and the people here directly in a way he can't do on CNN or MSNBC is important to him and to democracy. Let's play that clip. I was taking an Uber from a hotel elsewhere one Saturday morning and the Uber driver picked me up in front of the hotel and you know he looked at me for a while in the rear view mirror and before going and I said, well, is anything wrong?

I'm going to this address. And he said, no, no, nothing's wrong, but I know you. And I said, well, you know, I don't know where you'd know me from. And he said, well, I don't either, but I know you. And I thanked him, as I always do, and I'm honored when people recognize me from any place and touched that they do. So he drove off and a few miles down the road,

he said, you're Judge Ludwig, aren't you? And I said, yes, I am. And he said, he thanked me for what all he thought I was doing for the country and in speaking out on these issues. And then he said, I watch you on Midas Touch. I watch you every single time that you appear with Michael Pawpaw. He said, I go home every night, seven days a week, and I watch and listen to Midas Touch and Michael Pawpaw's program.

I never miss a word. And Michael, he said to me, the only hope that I have for America is in the Midas Touch Network. And I wouldn't say that if it weren't true. And I said, well, thank you, sir. Thank you so much. Yes, I'm honored to appear on the Midas Touch Network

and with Michael in particular. And I agree that they're performing a great service for the country in airing the programs that they air. Next time you see me, at least talking about Michael Ludwig, I'll have Michael Ludwig with me here on the Midas Touch Network. And if you like what we're doing on Legal AF,

there you go, join us on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. Eastern time for a live taping of Legal AF, where we sit. Join us on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. Eastern Time for a live taping of Legal AF where we sit at the intersection of law and politics and bring you stories just like this one with our analysis. Wednesdays I do it with Karen Freeman at Knifilow and Saturdays with Ben Misalas. And then I do hot takes like this at the intersection of law and politics about every hour right here on the Midas Touch Network. Free subscribe and help them get the three million

free subscribers before the election day. I think it'll get there by Labor Day. So if you like what I'm doing, leave me a comment and a thumbs up. It helps with the ratings, so to speak, keeps the lights on. And until my next hot take, until my next Legal AF, this is Michael Popak reporting.

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