Episode

Lawfare Archive: The Public Integrity Section, Threats, and Criminal Contempt with John Keller

Podcast
The Lawfare Podcast
Published
May 30, 2026
Duration seconds
4832
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https://shows.acast.com/lawfare/episodes/lawfare-archive-the-public-integrity-section-threats-and-cri
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https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/60518a52f69aa815d2dba41c/e/6a18a64171443cf04ac966f7/media.mp3
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Summary

From May 27, 2025: John Keller, now a partner at Walden, Macht, Haran, & Williams, channeled his experience as the former Chief of the Public Integrity Section at the Department of Justice to discuss three recent developments with James Pearce,  Lawfare  Legal Fellow. They discussed proposed changes to the Public Integrity Section that could hamper the Justice Department’s ability to investigate and prosecute corruption matters in a fair and impartial matter. Keller weighed in on whether the Justice Department has a viable prosecution theory for criminal threats or incitement in the case of former FBI Director, Jim Comey. And they discussed criminal contempt: what it is, how it differs from civil contempt, the recent criminal contempt probable-cause finding by Judge Boasberg in an Alien Enemies Act case in the District of Columbia, and whether the federal rule permitting appointment of a special prosecutor outside the Justice Department may pose constitutional separation-of-powers concerns. To receive ad-free podcasts, become a  Lawfare  Material Supporter at  www.patreon.com/lawfare . You can also support  Lawfare  by making a one-time donation at  https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute . Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.