Op-Eds Archive

Eisen, Watt, & Wertheimer On Just Security: “Speech Or Debate” Immunity Will Not Protect Rep. Scott Perry’s Phone

On Thursday, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals held a hearing on whether Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), whose activities are being investigated as part of the Justice Department’s Jan. 6 criminal investigation, is protected by the Constitution’s Speech or Debate Clause. Perry played an outsized role in the attempted interference in the 2020 presidential election and the court […]

Eisen, Perry, & Wertheimer: Trump’s Hush Money Is News Again. Here’s Why We Should Care.

A criminal investigation of former President Donald Trump being restarted by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, and discussed in a new book by one of his former prosecutors, Mark Pomerantz, raises vital issues of both election integrity and accountability, Ambassador Norman Eisen (ret.), E. Danya Perry, and Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer write in a deep dive published […]

Op-Ed: Jim Jordan Showed On His First Day How Unfit He Is To Lead The House Judiciary Committee

This week, House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) gaveled in the first hearing in what he promised will be a crusade against the Biden Administration: “[W]e won’t stop until we get the truth to fix the problem for the American people.” The hearing was supposedly about the “border crisis.” But, the hearing had little to do with […]

Pence Document Case Shows It’s Time for New Protocols

This op-ed appeared in Newsweek. Pence Document Case Shows It’s Time for New Protocols By: Norman Eisen, Joshua Stanton, and Fred Wertheimer  This week, we learned former Vice President Mike Pence was added to the list of politicians who have improperly handled classified materials. Unless evidence emerges to the contrary, we take Pence at his word that he didn’t […]

Eisen, Perry, Wertheimer In The New York Times: The Jan. 6 Committee Just Made History. Here’s What That Means For Prosecutors.

Given the facts that were revealed by the House January 6th Committee through its 18-month investigation, “these hearings had to end with criminal referrals against Donald Trump and his minions,” Amb. Norman Eisen (ret.), E. Danya Perry, and Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer write in an essay published by The New York Times. “The House committee […]

Just Security Op-Ed: “Our Prosecution Memo Points The Way For The Special Counsel”

“Some people have argued against the need for, or timing of, the appointment of a special counsel in the federal investigations of former President Donald Trump. We welcome the announcement of veteran federal prosecutor Jack Smith in that role,” according to a new op-ed on Just Security, by the authors of an extensively researched report that assesses the potential […]

Eisen/Wertheimer Op-Ed On Slate: Pennsylvania’s Law Is Clear — Absentee Ballots Should Be Counted

The following op-ed by Amb. Norman Eisen (ret.) and Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer was published today on Slate.   Slate  |  11/8/2022 The Fate of the Midterms Could Rest in a Pennsylvania Courtroom  By: Norman L. Eisen and Fred Wertheimer Under the radar, a state court issued an opinion last week that could prove […]

Wertheimer On Brookings: The “Independent State Legislature Theory” Will Not Empower State Legislatures To Override Presidential Election Results

There is a key misconception about the potential impact of an upcoming Supreme Court case and the “independent state legislature theory,” Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer writes in an op-ed published on Brookings. The misconception, Wertheimer writes, is this: “[I]f the ‘independent state legislature theory’ is adopted by the Supreme Court in the case of Moore v. […]

Eisen/Wertheimer In Just Security: Was DeSantis Shipping Migrants To Martha’s Vineyard A Crime?

“The treatment of the Migrants who were transported from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard has gripped the nation. There can be little doubt that it was wrong,” Amb. Norman Eisen (ret.) and Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer write in a detailed analysis of the recent actions of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis published today in Just Security. In a […]

Eisen/Wertheimer: DOJ Focus On Classified Docs In Appeal Of Special Master Ruling Is Shrewd Move That Will Protect National Security

The DOJ strategy means “the most legally odious and dangerous aspects of the court’s order can be immediately challenged and hopefully quickly overturned.” On Thursday, the Justice Department announced it would appeal Judge Aileen Cannon’s order blocking criminal investigators from using the classified documents seized last month from former President Donald Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago […]