‘We were complicit’: Lawyer who worked for Trump administration pens op ed apologising to US

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A former Department of Justice lawyer has apologised for working under the Trump administration.

Erica Newland, who worked in the [Office of Legal Counsel] from 2016-2018, says she and her colleagues were “complicit” in supporting an “anti-democratic leader”.

Writing in The New York Times on Sunday, Ms Newland said she stayed at the DOJ after Mr Trump’s victory believing she could limit his influence on policy.

But, Ms Newland says, her talents as a lawyer ended up having the opposite effect, making policies such as the 2017 ban on Muslim-majority countries more acceptable to the courts.

Some two years after leaving her position, Ms Newland said she would have better served the country by immediately quitting after the president assumed office.

“If, early on, the Justice Department lawyers charged with selling the administration’s lies had emptied the ranks…the work of defending President Trump’s policies would have been left to the types of attorneys now representing his campaign,” Ms Newland wrote.

“Lawyers like Mr Giuliani would have had to defend the Muslim ban in court.”

In coming to that conclusion, Ms Newland said she and those who also worked at the DOJ during Mr Trump’s tenure owe the country an apology.

“We owe the country our honesty about that and about what we saw,” she said. “We owe apologies. I offer mine here.”

Her comments come as Mr Trump continues to insist that he won the 2020 election, despite the electoral college recently confirming Joe Biden won.

“Big news coming out of Pennsylvania,” Mr Trump tweeted on Monday morning. “Very big illegal ballot drop that cannot be accounted for. Rigged Election!”

He did not cite any evidence to go with that allegation.

Led by Rudy Giuliani, the president’s legal team claims, without evidence, that the mass voter fraud took place at the 3 November poll.

‘We were complicit’: Lawyer who worked for Trump administration pens op ed apologising to US​

nice to finally here some contrition from some of the people involved in the horror of the last 4yrs
 
toabb said:
nice to finally here some contrition from some of the people involved in the horror of the last 4yrs
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If she felt so strongly that her actions were wrong, why did she persist in doing them? This just sounds like an attempt to suck up to the new administration.
 
MikeInVA said:
If she felt so strongly that her actions were wrong, why did she persist in doing them? This just sounds like an attempt to suck up to the new administration.
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Suudy said:
Exactly my thought. Pandering. Pure and simple pandering.
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I think its more about saving her career. Some of these folks may have trouble finding work in or out of government - at least not the work they want to do.
 
TMC said:
I think its more about saving her career.
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Fair enough. I should have left out “Pure.”

I suppose in some people’s eyes this is no different than Trump himself: say whatever you need to in order to get the support you need. Seems this person cares more about their job than what they are doing.
 
Yesw said:
" I didn’t want to lie for him but what could i. Dooooo??
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Quit. Get a different job. Tell your boss “No, I won’t do that.”

Or do what this person did, compromise your integrity to keep getting a paycheck.
 
toabb said:
“Led by Rudy Giuliani, the president’s legal team claims, without evidence, that the mass voter fraud took place at the 3 November poll.”
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I predict that Giuliani will wake up and come to his senses about Trumps delusions, down the track. For many people it will serve as a lesson about not losing yourself in a narcissists vortex.
 
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What horror of the last 4 years? ISIS has been defeated, at least, the Caliphate busted.

Hey, nice to have a president that doesn’t believe in infanticide.


Oh, is North Korea firing off missiles routinely? No.

Funding Iran?

If one wants to talk about horror, consider the above.
 
Suudy said:
Quit. Get a different job. Tell your boss “No, I won’t do that.”

Or do what this person did, compromise your integrity to keep getting a paycheck.
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Yes I did that… I’ve left 4 or more employment as a field service engineer.
Its easier said that doing it.
At a company called general instruments. The new management said “aren’t you a whore like everyone else” as they replaced managers and supervisors. This was the4th time.
 
Suudy said:
Tell your boss “No, I won’t do that.”
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Did that also… the church going boss said
" oh I didn’t know you were that kind"
He not a “company man”

He spread the word that employee" he has a problem "

As I don’t know how many times you were run out of a job. Because of corrupt people.
 
Aren’t you glad you don’t work there anymore?

And while I wasn’t “run out of a job,” it was crystal clear to me that I didn’t want to be part of a company. I was in college working the summer at a boat repair shop. The owner asked me put new grease into the hubs of a boat trailer, pressure wash off all the old grease, and have it down for the customer to pickup. I grabbed the work order and started to walk out to get the boat/trailer. On the work order: “Replace failed seals, repack bearings, clean old grease off trailer.” I walked back and told him, “Um, you asked me to only pressure wash, what about the seals and bearings?” He snatched the work order out of my hand and said, “Do what you are told.” I nodded, and went out, and told the lead mechanic what was going on. He told me, “Kid, keep your head down if you want to keep your job.” That bothered me. So I went up, got the trailer, pressure washed it off, then proceeded the take apart the bearings and to do the job right. I got it done in time, and had it done correctly. When I went down to the boss to tell him the SKU numbers for the seals, he became livid and told me “You do that again, and you are fired.” At home that evening, I told my father what happened. He was furious at the guy, but he told me to handle it. So when I came in the next morning to work I told my boss “I’m giving you my 2 weeks notice. I’m quitting.” His reply, “Don’t bother. Go to the bookkeeper and get your last paycheck.”

It was clear to me I didn’t want to work there. I could have just “done my job.”

One thing though, I have never had that kind of thing happen in the professional world. I’ve worked at small 10 people companies to large companies like Intel, and I’ve never seen nor heard of a boss giving order to do something dishonest. It probably happens. But I don’t think it happens that often. And I don’t think it was likely in the OP’s case either.
 
Suudy said:
One thing though, I have never had that kind of thing happen in the professional world. I’ve worked at small 10 people companies to large companies like Intel, and I’ve never seen nor heard of a boss giving order to do something dishonest. It probably happens. But I don’t think it happens that often. And I don’t think it was likely in the OP’s case either.
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I once worked for a manufacturing company that knowingly hired illegals. The owners of the company were self professed Christians. The CEO once said he would go to jail rather than firing his best Illegal. The illegals were the better workers than the natives. What do you do?

Latter someone ( probably a jealous employee ) after I left dropped a dime on the company to the IRS and Immigration. And the stuff hit the fan there.
 
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