Washington, DC – Democratic attorneys general are the first and last line of defense against the Trump administration’s harmful and unlawful policies. From federal funding cuts to mass indiscriminate firings, Democratic AGs were the first to take action and file lawsuits to protect those harmed.

In a new episode of MSNBC’s “Trumpland with Alex Wagner”, Wagner spoke with with Illinois AG Kwame Raoul, New York AG Letitia James, Connecticut AG William Tong, and Arizona AG Kris Mayes to discuss the actions taken by Dem AGs to protect all Americans – including hosting Community Impact Hearings – and why it’s so important to defend the rule of law against Trump’s dangerous political agenda.

As Wagner states in the episode, “… these attorneys general might be the best and most effective resistance to the Trump agenda. They aren’t part of the federal government, they’re rooted in the states. And now they’re traveling across the country, listening to citizens, and making a case, in court, on their behalf.”

Key highlights:

• “Nearly two months into the new Trump administration, one of the only places where Donald Trump’s radical agenda has been stalled is in the courts,” Wagner explained. “And that’s due, in part, to a group of Democratic state attorneys general, who have joined forces to construct a fortified defense around the U.S. Constitution, and it appears to be working.” 
• “Listen, I believe he’s poked the bear,” New York AG James said. “And I believe that more and more Americans will respond to this crisis” 
• “If federal employees are being laid off, they’re not just laying off Democrats, they’re laying off everybody,” Illinois AG Raoul told Wagner. “There’s a ripple effect to all of it and that’s what we need to lift our voices and speak about.” 
• “…we were ready for this,” said AG Tong about Trump’s right-wing policies. “He [Trump] telegraphed what he was going to do and we took him at his word.”
• “So, we are on a winning streak just as we were during Trump [1.0] and we will continue to stand up for the rule of law,” AG James said, referring to their win in securing funding for the National Institute of Health.
• “And so, they primarily hide behind this argument, this notion that they are trying to get rid of waste, and fraud and corruption, but there’s nothing further from the truth,” continued AG James. “The reality is, all that they are doing is trying to cut government, primarily to pass a tax cut for the 1%.” 
• “When the federal government and Congress abandoned their responsibilities, it falls to us to step up and defend the people that we serve,” said AG Mayes. “And that is why we’re doing what we’re doing,” 
• “We’re really united as a group, “AG Mayes continued. “All 23 Democratic AGs are united. Most of us are joining these lawsuits together. And we’ve been planning for this for a while together.”
• “And the AGs are really committed to bringing lawsuits against the Trump administration when they engage in unconstitutional and illegal behavior, “ said AG Mayes. “And that seems like that has happened pretty much every week since he took office.”
• “I think, a view and a feeling amongst the attorneys general that we have a duty to fulfill to the nation,” concluded AG Mayes. “And we feel a deep obligation to stand up for our communities, for people who’ve been harmed and for our Constitution.”

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