The “I’ve Never Done THAT Before!” Edition

The “I’ve Never Done THAT Before!” Edition

From Rational Security by The Lawfare Institute

May 7, 2026 · 1h 22m

About this episode

The episode discusses recent national security news, including the indictment of James Comey and the implications of the War Powers Resolution.

This week, Scott sat down with his Lawfare colleagues Molly Roberts, Roger Parloff, and Tyler McBrien to talk through the week’s big national security news stories, including: “Jim Spells Seashells By the Seashore.” Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted again this past week, this time for allegedly threatening the life of the president by spelling “8647” in shells at the beach and posting an image on social media. It is a ludicrous argument. So what does it tell us that Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was willing to file it? And where does Trump’s broader vengeance campaign seem likely to go from here, under whoever becomes the next Attorney General? “We Were on a Break!” The Iran War turned 60 days old last week—the deadline by which, under the War Powers Resolution, the president is supposed to wrap up any congressionally unauthorized military operations. But like many of its predecessors, the Trump administration has done no such thing. Instead, it’s argued that the 60-day cut-off was already met by the ongoing ceasefire—even though the Trump administration has continued its embargo of Iranian oil resources and began a new major maritime campaign to open the Strait…

People in this episode

Host: Scott

Guests: Molly Roberts, Roger Parloff, Tyler McBrien

Topics covered

  • national security
  • legal issues
  • political analysis
  • military operations
  • Trump administration

Keywords

  • James Comey
  • Trump
  • War Powers Resolution
  • Iran War
  • national security

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Trump administration, FBI

Places: Iran

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