Gavin Newsom Touts California's Partnerships With Other States' AGs To Take On Trump Administration

5 months ago

At a press briefing on Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) discussed California's efforts to work with other states to take on the Trump Administration.

Transcript

00:00Attorney General, thank you for the comprehensive overview and thank you for putting together

00:04this report in a transparent way.

00:06You may recall this report came out of a legislative process that began during the transition of

00:12the Trump administration.

00:13We called a special session.

00:15We did so in the spirit that defines, I think, the closing comments of the Attorney General

00:20with an open hand, not a closed fist.

00:22With the intention not to litigate, with the intention not to initiate, but with the intention

00:29to defend, to stand tall, to hold the line in terms of our values, the things we hold

00:35dear, to advance the rule of law and do so in a fair way.

00:41We were mindful, the past is prologue, that we were involved in over 122, arguably 123 lawsuits

00:50in the Trump administration, 1.0, and inevitably we would be faced with many similar lawsuits

00:57and efforts in the second administration, though I think none of us imagined in the process

01:03of putting together a special session that just in seven or so months, 37 lawsuits would

01:09be filed.

01:11None of us are surprised that so many of them have been successful.

01:16Nothing about what Trump is doing should come as a surprise save the scope, the scale, the

01:23shock and awe, as it's been described, of the totality of his efforts.

01:30Thankfully we have an outstanding leader in our Attorney General, someone who didn't need

01:34to be convinced to fortify, to provide a bridge.

01:38That was the idea of the special session.

01:40After all, a bridge to the budget to make sure he had the resources so that he can move

01:45forward quickly.

01:47Whether it was internal efforts or to the extent he needed to find counsel outside, he would

01:53have the luxury, he would have the resources to do so.

01:56With the support of the legislature, we not only advanced the $25 million in the special

02:01session, but with the support of the legislature just a few weeks ago, we also were able to

02:06significantly increase the ongoing support for our litigation posture here at the DOJ.

02:14I'm grateful to the Attorney General, I'm grateful to the leadership in both the Senate and the Assembly

02:19for supporting new positions and supporting additional resources that will supplement the

02:25resources that were set aside, those one-time resources, the $25 million in the special session.

02:32It was never the intention to quote-unquote Trump-proof, your words, not mine, during the special session,

02:39but undoubtedly those resources have come to bear great fruit.

02:47And I'm grateful again to your leadership, to your team's leadership, to your stewardship,

02:53to the partnerships that you've formed with other states, and I think this closing is

02:59a critical point.

03:00It's the old African proverb, you want to go fast, you can go alone, but if you want

03:04to go far, go together.

03:06And the partnerships that have been formed with other attorney generals all across this

03:10country have been formidable and have had tremendous impact in terms of the success with

03:16these preliminary injunctions, success so far in this process.

03:21But none of us are naïve about what's next, and none of us are naïve about the imperative

03:28of making sure that we're resourced and we have a resourceful mindset as we move forward.

03:35This return on investment.

03:39But again, this is just seven months into a new administration, and there's no question

03:47in my mind that the most vexing challenges are in front of us, not behind us.

03:53So I'm here just to support and amplify the work that was done in putting together this

04:00report, but also extend gratitude, not just to the attorney general, but again to the legislature,

04:07for approving this appropriation, for supporting that special session, and setting up this strategy.

04:13First of its type in the country, we took this next administration, the new Trump administration,

04:19seriously.

04:20And thankfully, we did.

04:23And I'm very, very proud of you and your team and grateful for the opportunity just

04:28to highlight and reinforce the success that's laid out today in this report.

04:31This report.

04:32This report.

04:33This report has been performed for rightAw talks and geography whose

Gavin Newsom Touts California's Partnerships With Other States' AGs To Take On Trump Administration

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