All In with Chris Hayes

Trump threatens more indictments of foes after Comey

21 snips
Sep 27, 2025
Donald Trump's aggressive tactics are under scrutiny as former officials face potential indictments. Experts discuss the risks of malicious prosecution and the troubling politicization of the Justice Department. Senator Tim Kaine weighs in on the implications of recent firings. There's concern about the rapid advance toward authoritarianism, drawing parallels to historical leaders. Finally, the backlash that successfully restored Jimmy Kimmel to air highlights public resistance against media manipulation.
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ANECDOTE

U.S. Attorney Resigns Instead Of Complying

  • Eric Siebert was nominated by Trump but resigned rather than pursue charges he found unsupported.
  • Trump then publicly mischaracterized the resignation as a firing and attacked Sen. Tim Kaine's endorsement.
INSIGHT

Vindictiveness Claim Is Plausible But Hard

  • A vindictive-prosecution claim is legally difficult but uniquely plausible here given explicit presidential pressure.
  • Still, courts rarely overturn prosecutions for political vindictiveness despite strong circumstantial evidence.
INSIGHT

Vague Charges Undermine Legal Notice

  • The indictment's factual vagueness (confusion about which person/question it targets) undermines notice and defense.
  • False-statement charges require precise intent and can fail when the record is ambiguous.
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