Ex-Clarence Thomas Aide Warns Trump May Cause ‘Constitutional Earthquake’ [Video]

What’s New

John Yoo, a former clerk for conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and the former deputy assistant attorney general, warned on a podcast this week that Donald Trump may cause a “constitutional earthquake” with some of his suggested plans once he takes office.

The legal scholar, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, pointed to the possibility of Trump withdrawing from key treaties with international partners during an interview aired Monday on Puck’s podcast Somebody’s Gotta Win With Tara Palmeri. Yoo said attempting to withdraw the U.S. from NATO would likely be challenged all the way to the Supreme Court.

Newsweek reached out to the Trump transition team on Wednesday via email for comment.

Why It Matters

During his first administration, Trump said in 2018 that the defense spending goal for NATO should be doubled to 4 percent. He now reportedly wantsit to be increased to 5 percent. While on the campaign trail in …