Former Federal Prosecutor Warns Against Misreading Trump Administration Personnel Moves
Andrew Weissmann, a former federal prosecutor and ex-FBI general counsel, issued a stark warning on Monday, urging the public not to interpret recent changes in Trump administration personnel as indicative of a broader policy shift. This caution comes amid reports that senior Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino, a key figure in enforcing Donald Trump's stringent immigration crackdown, is expected to leave his post in Minneapolis. The move occurs against a backdrop of escalating unrest in the region, highlighting ongoing tensions surrounding immigration enforcement.
Personnel Changes Versus Policy Continuity
In an interview with MS NOW's Ari Melber, Weissmann emphasized that shuffling officials should not distract from the underlying policies driving immigration actions. "Well, one view is for the public not to be distracted by a change in lower-level people," he stated, underscoring that such moves often mask deeper, unchanging strategies. Weissmann pointed to widespread unrest, from Minnesota to the West Coast and as far east as Maine, as direct consequences of Trump's immigration agenda, rather than isolated incidents tied to individual officials.
He elaborated that the overall ethos and, at times, deadly nature of the crackdown carried out by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency remain firmly in place, regardless of who occupies specific roles. "When you have a president who very much is a unitary executive and everyone knows he is controlling all of this, you really can't just put lipstick on a pig and say it has nothing to do with me," Weissmann remarked, using vivid language to illustrate the futility of cosmetic changes. He concluded by asserting that altering personnel in Minnesota or elsewhere does not equate to modifying the policies themselves, which continue to shape national immigration enforcement.
