The Republican legal establishment thought they could play both sides forever.
They were happy to take credit when Trump appointed conservative judges but went silent during four years of lawfare.
And Steve Bannon just exposed one shocking truth about Trump’s judicial picks that has the establishment panicking.
Article III Project founder declares war on the legal establishment
The Republican legal establishment in Washington, D.C. has been playing both sides of the fence for far too long.
These so-called “conservative” lawyers and judges were happy to take Donald Trump’s judicial appointments during his first term.
But when the deep state launched four years of lawfare against Trump, most of them went silent or ran for cover.
Now that Trump is back in the White House with a clear mandate from the American people, he doesn’t need their approval anymore.
Article III Project founder Mike Davis made that crystal clear on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast.
Davis served as the chief counsel for nominations on the Senate Judiciary Committee during Trump’s first term and helped confirm a record number of conservative judges.
He knows exactly how the game is played in Washington, D.C.
And he’s not pulling any punches about the legal establishment’s betrayal of Trump.
“President Trump doesn’t need the D.C. legal establishment anymore, especially after the D.C. legal establishment abandoned President Trump during four years of lawfare,” Davis told Bannon.
Davis pointed out that these establishment lawyers stayed remarkably quiet while activist judges tried to sabotage Trump’s agenda from day one of his second term.
“They haven’t said much about the judicial sabotage that’s occurred since January 20th,” Davis explained.
Then Davis delivered the message that sent shockwaves through the legal establishment.
“I would say to the D.C. legal establishment, go to hell,” Davis declared.
Trump has a deeper bench this time around
Steve Bannon raised concerns about whether the MAGA movement has enough qualified lawyers to fill key positions without relying on the traditional Republican legal establishment.
Davis assured him that Trump’s team is well-prepared for the second term.
“I think that the legal establishment is going to move with some politics, and I just did a trip to Israel with several federal judges and a bunch of lawyers, and I’ll tell you, the bench is deep, and it’s very good for the Supreme Court, for the federal circuit courts,” Davis explained.
The key difference this time is that Trump no longer needs to prove himself to the Republican establishment.
“President Trump had to prove something to Republicans back in 2016. He had to prove that he was actually conservative, that he was actually acceptable to the establishment legal community, and President Trump more than delivered,” Davis stated.
Trump shattered records for judicial appointments during his first term and shifted both the Supreme Court and lower federal courts significantly to the right.
Now Trump can focus on appointing “even more bold, even more fearless judges” without worrying about establishment approval.
The political landscape has completely changed
Davis explained that the political dynamics are vastly different for Trump’s second term.
The Senate Republican majority is no longer hanging by a thread with Never-Trump senators like John McCain and Jeff Flake blocking Trump’s agenda.
“We don’t have the Russian collusion hoax, which casts significant doubts even among Republican senators on President Trump in the first term,” Davis noted.
The procedural hurdles that slowed down judicial confirmations have also been eliminated.
“We broke all the China. We don’t need to worry about blue slips for federal circuit judges anymore, where the home state senator is going to veto for federal appellate judges. We don’t have to worry about the 30-hour rule for the district court judges. It’s down to two hours,” Davis explained.
Most importantly, Trump has already proven his conservative credentials through his judicial appointments.
“President Trump doesn’t need to prove anything to these D.C. establishment types. He has delivered on these D.C. establishment types,” Davis said.
The establishment abandoned Trump when he needed them most
What really sticks in Davis’s craw is how the legal establishment turned their backs on Trump after he delivered exactly what they wanted.
“They abandoned President Trump after President Trump picked their judges in the first term. Many of them were very good. Some of them were bad,” Davis said.
When the deep state weaponized the justice system against Trump with bogus indictments and endless investigations, where was the outrage from these establishment lawyers?
They were nowhere to be found.
Instead of defending the rule of law and speaking out against the unprecedented persecution of a former President, they stayed silent or actively worked against Trump.
Now that Trump has returned to power stronger than ever, he doesn’t need their help or approval.
The America First movement has developed its own network of qualified lawyers and judges who are committed to the constitutional principles that made America great.
Davis’s blunt message to the D.C. legal establishment serves as a warning to other swamp creatures who think they can play both sides.
The old guard is finished, and a new generation of America First leaders is taking charge.
