The "Slap in the Face" Edition

<p><br></p><p>This week, Alan, Quinta and Scott were joined by RatSec 1.0 host and <em>Lawfare</em> editor-in-chief Benjamin Wittes! They hashed through some of the week's big national security news, including:</p><ul><li>“You’re Changing my Regime, What a Wonderful Way to Say How Much You Hate Me.” In recent remarks in Europe, President Biden appeared to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/27/us/politics/biden-ukraine.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">call for the removal</a> of Russian President Vladimir Putin–a statement he later reframed as an expression of “moral outrage,” not a call for regime change. Was this a deliberate move or a slip-up? And how significant is it?</li><li>“People, Let Me Tell You ‘Bout My Best Friend.” Revelations about his wife Virginia Thomas’s role in the Jan. 6 insurrection have raised questions whether Justice Clarence Thomas should be <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/25/thomas-texts-recusal-worse/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">recusing himself</a> from more cases–including a case governing whether records that might well implicate his wife should be turned over to the Jan. 6 committee. Should Justice Thomas be recusing? And what should be done if he doesn’t?</li><li>“Eastman’d and Down, Load it Up and Fuck It, We’re Gonna Do What They Say Can’t Be Done.” Both a <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/28/trump-judge-felony-obstruction-insurrection-00020918" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">federal judge</a> and a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/23/nyregion/trump-investigation-felony-resignation-pomerantz.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">former New York prosecutor</a> have concluded that there are credible reasons to believe former President Trump has broken the law. But it’s unclear whether any local, state or federal investigations are likely to lead to criminal charges. Will Trump be held accountable for his actions?</li></ul><p>For object lessons, Alan urged listeners to view North Ko