Remember was it was an anathema to conservative values to interfere with business? Oh, my kingdom for the halcyon days of Reagan’s “limited government.” Now we have a Republican president committed to micromanaging the nation based on his own personal vendettas. And it’s not just the once independent Department of Justice that must adhere to his whims, but private industry as well. While Donald Trump’s role in the sidelining of Jimmy Kimmel (until Disney adults came to the rescue) has garnered a ton of attention, he’s making other moves to leave his indelible mark on the free market.
Like demanding Microsoft fire one of its attorneys.
Last week, the president took to social media (because of course that’s how he does it) to demand that Microsoft fire its President of Global Affairs Lisa Monaco. So what has Monaco done to spark Trump’s ire? Well, she worked for the Department of Justice under the Biden administration. And you can tell from the way Trump uses the current DOJ as his own personal law firm that he doesn’t understand the notion of public service and the value of a Justice Department that works separately from the president’s late-night demands.
Monaco was the deputy attorney general and coordinated the DOJ’s prosecution of the January 6th perpetrators. Because pardoning those responsible for the attack on the Capitol isn’t enough to undo the Trumpian slight, the president is also going after those, like Monaco, who attempted to uphold the rule of law. In March, in one of his executive orders aimed at attorneys and the rule of law, Trump revoked Monaco’s security clearance. And last week, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Monaco should be fired and is “a menace to U.S. National Security, especially given the major contracts that Microsoft has with the United States Government.”
Microsoft has not commented on the campaign of presidential pressure. But, as reported by Law.com, Microsoft has billions of dollars in federal government contracts that could be leveraged to bend to Trump’s demands.
Just another thing that’s perfectly emblematic of 2025 that would have been downright shocking 30 years ago.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @Kathryn1@mastodon.social.
The post Donald Trump Demands Microsoft Fire In-House Counsel Because His Petty Need For Revenge Knows No Bounds appeared first on Above the Law.
Remember was it was an anathema to conservative values to interfere with business? Oh, my kingdom for the halcyon days of Reagan’s “limited government.” Now we have a Republican president committed to micromanaging the nation based on his own personal vendettas. And it’s not just the once independent Department of Justice that must adhere to his whims, but private industry as well. While Donald Trump’s role in the sidelining of Jimmy Kimmel (until Disney adults came to the rescue) has garnered a ton of attention, he’s making other moves to leave his indelible mark on the free market.
Like demanding Microsoft fire one of its attorneys.
Last week, the president took to social media (because of course that’s how he does it) to demand that Microsoft fire its President of Global Affairs Lisa Monaco. So what has Monaco done to spark Trump’s ire? Well, she worked for the Department of Justice under the Biden administration. And you can tell from the way Trump uses the current DOJ as his own personal law firm that he doesn’t understand the notion of public service and the value of a Justice Department that works separately from the president’s late-night demands.
Monaco was the deputy attorney general and coordinated the DOJ’s prosecution of the January 6th perpetrators. Because pardoning those responsible for the attack on the Capitol isn’t enough to undo the Trumpian slight, the president is also going after those, like Monaco, who attempted to uphold the rule of law. In March, in one of his executive orders aimed at attorneys and the rule of law, Trump revoked Monaco’s security clearance. And last week, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Monaco should be fired and is “a menace to U.S. National Security, especially given the major contracts that Microsoft has with the United States Government.”
Microsoft has not commented on the campaign of presidential pressure. But, as reported by Law.com, Microsoft has billions of dollars in federal government contracts that could be leveraged to bend to Trump’s demands.
Just another thing that’s perfectly emblematic of 2025 that would have been downright shocking 30 years ago.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @[email protected].
