Protecting the Rule of Law: My Conversation with New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin
Welcome back to Lucid, and hello to all new subscribers. Our next Q&A will take place on Sunday, Nov 2, 8-9pmET (the first week of the month our gatherings are held on Sunday evenings). Paying subscribers will receive a link at 5pmET on Sunday to register for the Zoom gathering.
Our guest will be Gail Helt. She is a former CIA analyst who has covered democratizing and authoritarian countries, most notably Taiwan and China. She now teaches at a small liberal arts university in TN, where she teaches courses in intelligence, Chinese history, and authoritarianism. She is also on the board of directors of The Steady State, a group of more than 300 former national security experts standing for strong and principled policy, the rule of law, and democracy.
Those who can’t attend will find a video at lucid.substack.com, videos tab. If you’d like to participate in these supportive and informative sessions, you can sign up as paying or upgrade to paid here:
I want to give everyone the chance to view and share this conversation with New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin. As New Jersey’s chief law enforcement officer since 2022, Attorney General Platkin has focused on combating violent crime, specifically gun crimes and auto thefts, resulting in significant reductions in both areas during his tenure.
He has also spearheaded efforts to change how law enforcement responds to mental health emergencies, and has created specialized units within the Division of Criminal Justice dedicated to prosecuting human trafficking and complex financial crimes. He also pushed for the creation of the Reproductive Rights Strike Force, partnering with the Governor’s Office and Legislature to protect access to reproductive healthcare.
We talked about how this administration is harming public safety by politicizing it; about the costs of weaponizing justice; and how politicians can message more effectively. I hope you find it helpful.
Stay well, and stay Lucid.
Ruth
The biggest obstacle to saving democracy in America is the ignorance in America that has failed to recognize the ongoing criminal felony insurrection led by Trump. Not enforcing the law against insurrection has caused the failure to save democracy. What’s happened in America is an insurrection by Trump, his administration, ICE agents, Republicans in Congress, and six justices on the Supreme Court. The insurrection started on January 6, 2021, was planned in PROJECT 2025, and continues as planned in 2025. The authoritarian illegal war attacking Americans redefined as enemy combatants, is defined as a felony crime in federal law (18 U.S. Code § 2383) in language that is clear and easy to understand:
“Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.” The law can be enforced beginning in 2025.
Read my post.
williamlmiller.substack…
This was an excellent conversation. I wish we had been able to engage with him what he had learned and what we could learn from Camden NJ and their changing of how policing happened a decade ago.