What is occurring now within the U.S. Department of Justice is completely different – and worse – than something seen in latest historical past, in keeping with NCS senior authorized analyst Elie Honig.
Honig unpacked prosecution, politics and presidential accountability during “An Evening with Elie Honig,” a free public occasion on March 26 hosted by the Rowan Institute for Public Policy & Citizenship (RIPPAC). Born and raised in southern New Jersey, Honig offers on-air commentary for NCS on information regarding the U.S. Department of Justice, the Supreme Court, main felony trials and congressional and grand jury investigations, policing and different authorized points.
The federal prosecutor turned on-air commentator mentioned his profession trajectory and turning into a journalist “by accident,” noting the talents translate as a result of the core of each jobs are the identical — breaking down complicated info for an viewers. Honig then highlighted shorthand phrases he by no means makes use of on-air, like “smoking gun” and “what’s he hiding?,” earlier than segueing into discussing present occasions.
Framing every little thing by means of a authorized lens, Honig asserts his 14 years as a prosecutor have been constructed on the concept that prosecution should be impartial of politics, calling the present politicization of the Department of Justice a break within the historic chain.
“This is anathema of everything the DOJ is about,” stated Honig, recalling when a buddy despatched him a photograph of the banner of President Trump hanging above the Department of Justice constructing. “It violates any notion that prosecution must be independent,” including it’s in opposition to every little thing that prosecutors “ought to be about.”
Politics Playbook
In the latter half of the night, Honig joined RIPPAC director Ben Dworkin for a Q &A, mixing humor, candor and additional insights into the American justice system.
Honig commented on the “outrageously broad” Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity and mentioned Presidential pardons and how far pardon energy really goes.
“Pardon power is one of the few areas where the presidency works the way a kindergartner thinks it works,” stated Honig, including that pardons function a blunt-force instrument in that they can’t be challenged in a court docket or overridden by Congress.
Honig is a nationwide bestselling writer of three books for HarperCollins, together with “When You Come at the King: Inside the DOJ’s Pursuit of the President, from Nixon to Trump.” Drawing from his most up-to-date work, he additionally mentioned the historical past of administrations underneath investigation or scrutiny that pre-dates each Trump and the Watergate scandal. As early because the 1870s Ulysses S. Grant appointed somebody to analyze the tax collector who was amassing tax from whiskey distillers and was taking kickbacks. He then tried to fireplace the prosecutor, undermined him within the press and then complained the press was coming after him. “This playbook has existed for a long time,” famous Honig.
A “typical” day
Honig describes his function with NCS as an “unpredictable gig”, however says it boils down to 3 varieties of days. There are the “on air now” days the place he drops every little thing to get in entrance of a digicam, including his private finest is swimming in the neighborhood pool to dressed and prepared, reside on-air in 18 minutes. There are the “washout” days the place all plans collapse due to pressing or breaking information. On a uncommon event, there are deliberate days the place all scheduled hits go as deliberate. Thursday was a type of days, due to RIPPAC and Rowan’s Radio, Television and Film department. Immediately earlier than and after this discuss, Honig did a reside hit on The Lead with Jake Tapper from Rowan’s Glassboro campus. In a post to his personal Instagram, he counseled the “unbelievable group” of scholars and employees for dealing with the distant reporting “like absolute pros.”
In closing, Honig supplied the scholars within the viewers what he wished he knew when he was in faculty.
“The phrase ‘career path’ is very misleading, because a path suggests a linear straight line,” stated Honig. “Your paths will not be paths. They will not be straight. They will be marked with rejection and failure,” including college students ought to have grace for themselves, settle for failure and be persistent.
Established in 2018, RIPPAC is devoted to informing, coaching and partaking the Rowan group and most people on points associated to politics, coverage and citizen engagement. The institute hosts packages and occasions all year long to assist college students’ tutorial and profession growth and facilitate public coverage, analysis, dialogue and discourse.
“An Evening with Elie Honig” marks RIPPAC’s remaining speaker for the 2025-2026 tutorial 12 months. Most not too long ago, RIPPAC hosted Governor Phil Murphy, Congressman Donald Norcross and former Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, who additionally served as U.S. ambassador to Italy.