Executive Functions

If Democrats hold back on accountability, does the Trump administration’s worst conduct go unanswered? If they don’t, does the cycle just keep escalating? Bob Bauer and @jacklgoldsmith each make a case.

Bob Bauer and @FukuyamaFrancis discuss the post-Trump era, with Fukuyama noting how the Trumpian 'earthquake' might clear the way for previously-impossible reforms.

Bob Bauer and Jack Goldsmith discuss the legal problems with the three taxpayer-funded ads aggrandizing President Trump, and what might explain an administration with ample party money spending public funds this way. execfunctions.org/p/advertis…

Bob Bauer argues that the administration’s recent taxpayer-funded ads featuring President Trump violate the federal ban on spending appropriated funds for “propaganda,” but that consequences will likely depend on Congress—which “faces a major legal and policy challenge in giving any teeth to the ban.”

Bob Bauer on President Trump's drive for unimpeded control of the administration's message. execfunctions.org/p/donald-t…

Is Trump Media’s early-access feed lawful? Jack Goldsmith and former SEC GC John Coates discuss on today's Chat.

Bob Bauer on last night's SCOTUS order leaving the mail-ballot rule blocked:

The Trump administration's main lines of attack on the integrity of the 2026 elections: claims of (1) noncitizen voting, (2) fraud in mail-in voting, (3) mistrust in voting machinery.

Bob Bauer writes that Kash Patel's libel lawsuits seem to run afoul of the DOJ’s Standards of Conduct. execfunctions.org/p/the-fbi-…

Bob Bauer on Robert Mueller's passing: Professionalism and integrity are no match for the forces of polarization. execfunctions.org/p/when-rob…

"Law is the language through which we criticize presidential uses of war powers."🔗 execfunctions.org/p/law-and-…

A Dishonorable Strike: Indulging all assumptions in favor of the administration’s boat strikes, killing helpless men is murder, @jacklgoldsmith writes. execfunctions.org/p/a-dishon…