"He's There Because Trump Wants Him There" - Andrew Weissmann - The Last Word - MSNBC

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Andrew Weissmann joins Lawrence O’Donnell on The Last Word to break down the extraordinary developments in the Abrego Garcia case.

On the same day a federal appeals court unanimously rejected Donald Trump’s attempt to block a court order, Senator Chris Van Hollen made an unannounced visit to Kilmar Abrego Garcia—an American resident wrongfully detained in El Salvador. What followed was revealing: a mocking tweet from El Salvador’s president, and silence from the U.S. executive branch.

As he explains here, there is no legal ambiguity: the courts have spoken. The Supreme Court said this man must be returned. The only reason he remains in jail is because Donald Trump wants him there—and is paying for him to be there.

This is not partisan rhetoric. Judge Wilkinson—a Reagan appointee—has issued a scathing, clear-sighted opinion about executive lawlessness and the fundamental violation of due process. We’re witnessing a legal crisis, but also a rare moment of judicial clarity. And that matters. - Aired on 04/17/2025.


00:00 Breaking News: Senator Van Hollen Visits Abrego Garcia
00:40 El Salvador’s President Mocks the Meeting
01:20 Why This Visit Matters in Court
02:00 Judge Wilkinson’s Powerful Ruling
03:05 “Shocking” Violation of Due Process
04:30 Trump’s Legal Strategy—and Its Limits
05:30 The Role of the Courts in Making Things Right
06:20 Trump’s Remarks on El Salvador’s Prison System
07:15 Why Due Process Exists—Even for the Accused
08:00 Andrew Weissmann Joins the Conversation
08:30 Judge Wilkinson’s Clarion Call
09:20 A Bipartisan Legal Uproar
10:10 Abrego Garcia’s Detention: Who Holds the Power?
11:00 The Meaning of “Facilitate” in This Case
11:50 What the Courts Will Be Watching Next
12:40 El Salvador’s Tweets as Legal Evidence
13:45 Why This Case Is Bigger Than Politics
14:30 A Warning for the Supreme Court—and the Country
15:20 Read the Ruling: 7 Pages that Matter