{"id":2401923,"date":"2025-02-12T15:09:02","date_gmt":"2025-02-12T20:09:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-blocking-trump-spending-freeze-likened-trump-to-a-tyrant\/"},"modified":"2025-02-12T15:11:19","modified_gmt":"2025-02-12T20:11:19","slug":"judge-blocking-trump-spending-freeze-likened-trump-to-a-tyrant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-blocking-trump-spending-freeze-likened-trump-to-a-tyrant\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge Blocking Trump Spending Freeze Likened Trump To A &#8216;Tyrant&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjudge-blocking-trump-spending-freeze-likened-trump-to-a-tyrant%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2401923&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-york-times-issues-multiple-corrections-for-article-falsely-claiming-900000-u-s-children-have-been-hospitalized-for-covid-19-during-pandemic\/\" title=\"New York Times Issues Multiple Corrections For ... Falsely Claiming 900,000 U.S. Children Have Been Hospitalized For COVID-19 During Pandemic\">article discusses<\/a>\u2064 a\u2063 controversy\u200d involving District Court Judge John \u200bMcConnell Jr., who \u2062has issued a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-grants-temporary-restraining-order-partially-blocking-texas-heartbeat-act\/\" title=\"Judge Grants Temporary Restraining ... Partially Blocking Texas Heartbeat Act\">temporary restraining order blocking<\/a> former President Donald Trump&#8217;s\u200b attempt to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-affirms-trump-has-some-authority-to-pause-spending-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Judge affirms Trump has some authority to ... spending - Washington Examiner\">pause federal spending<\/a>. During the proceedings, \u200dmcconnell likened Trump to a &#8220;tyrant,&#8221; \u2064raising concerns about his impartiality. \u200dThis statement was made in a previously unearthed video, where McConnell\u2063 expressed his belief that Trump\u2019s presidency had strained the \u200crule\u200d of\u200d law\u2063 in the U.S., drawing ancient comparisons \u2063to the Civil War\u2062 era. Currently, McConnell insists \u2062that Trump \u2064must resume federal spending in various areas, including health initiatives\u2064 and funding tied to the Biden-era \u2064Inflation Reduction Act, \u2063threatening potential criminal contempt if Trump does not comply. These developments have\u2064 sparked debates about the role of judiciary power in executive actions and \u2063the implications \u2063for Trump\u2019s governance. The article is authored by Brianna Lyman, who focuses on electoral \u200bissues.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wUApYjDBgsE\">  Helen Cooke \/ YouTube <\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/02\/12\/judge-blocking-trump-spending-freeze-likened-trump-to-a-tyrant-in-unearthed-video\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Judge%20Blocking%20Trump%20Spending%20Freeze%20Likened%20Trump%20To%20A%20%E2%80%98Tyrant%E2%80%99%20In%20Unearthed%20Video&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/02\/12\/judge-blocking-trump-spending-freeze-likened-trump-to-a-tyrant-in-unearthed-video\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Judge%20Blocking%20Trump%20Spending%20Freeze%20Likened%20Trump%20To%20A%20%E2%80%98Tyrant%E2%80%99%20In%20Unearthed%20Video&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/02\/12\/judge-blocking-trump-spending-freeze-likened-trump-to-a-tyrant-in-unearthed-video\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/02\/12\/judge-blocking-trump-spending-freeze-likened-trump-to-a-tyrant-in-unearthed-video\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Judge%20Blocking%20Trump%20Spending%20Freeze%20Likened%20Trump%20To%20A%20%E2%80%98Tyrant%E2%80%99%20In%20Unearthed%20Video&amp;body=The%20judge%20who%20is%20trying%20to%20force%20President%20Donald%20Trump%20to%20resume%20spending%20billions%20of%20taxpayer%20dollars%20likened%20Trump%20to%20a%20'tyrant'%20in%202021.%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/02\/12\/judge-blocking-trump-spending-freeze-likened-trump-to-a-tyrant-in-unearthed-video\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>The judge who is trying to force President Donald Trump to resume spending billions of taxpayer dollars once likened Trump to a &ldquo;tyrant.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>District Court Judge John McConnell Jr., <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/01\/31\/nx-s1-5282410\/trump-spending-freeze-blocked-federal-judge\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">issued<\/a> a temporary restraining order <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/02\/07\/judges-issuing-lawless-bans-on-trumps-clearly-legal-executive-actions-have-extremist-records\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">blocking Trump<\/a> from pausing federal spending. Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/01\/27\/trump-freezes-federal-aid-omb-00200891\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">issued<\/a> a spending freeze on Jan. 27 in order to assess the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-gop-releases-damning-report-as-mayorkas-faces-impeachment-morally-unacceptable\/\" title=\"House GOP Releases Damning Report as Mayorkas Faces Impeachment: &#039;Morally Unacceptable&#039;\">mass waste<\/a> and abuse of <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/02\/07\/democrats-more-panicked-about-doge-accessing-feds-computers-than-chinese-hackers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">taxpayer funds<\/a> before the Office of Management and Budget <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/01\/29\/g-s1-45313\/trump-federal-funding-freeze-reversed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rescinded<\/a> the pause following a flurry of left-led challenges. Now, McConnell has claimed Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/10\/us\/trump-unfreezing-federal-grants-judge-ruling.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">defied<\/a> his order.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-567967996\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>[READNEXT:[READNEXT:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/02\/04\/11-insane-things-your-tax-dollars-paid-for-thanks-to-usaid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">11 Insane Things Your Tax Dollars Paid For Thanks To USAID<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As the Washington Times <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/news\/2025\/feb\/10\/judge-john-j-mcconnell-jr-says-donald-trump-still-\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">summarized<\/a> it, McConnell has ordered that Trump must restart the spending &ldquo;across the board, including specifically at the National Institutes of Health and money that was to be spent under the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act.&rdquo; But the Trump administration argued that while they&rsquo;ve restarted some money paused by the original freeze, &ldquo;other money was still on hold based on other authorities,&rdquo; according to the report.<\/p>\n<p>McConnell <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.rid.58912\/gov.uscourts.rid.58912.96.0_2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">insinuated<\/a> in his Monday order there could be criminal charges levied against Trump if he doesn&rsquo;t restore spending, with McConnell citing a 1975 case that held &ldquo;Persons who make private determinations of the law and refuse to obey an <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">order generally risk criminal contempt<\/a> even if the order is ultimately ruled incorrect.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Notably, a newly unearthed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wUApYjDBgsE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">video<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/nataliegwinters\/status\/1889510504789402095\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">shared<\/a> by reporter Natalie Winters on X features McConnell (reportedly a former Planned Parenthood <a href=\"https:\/\/rollcall.com\/2020\/03\/20\/federal-judges-from-political-players-to-lifetime-appointments\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">volunteer<\/a> and long-time Democrat <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2025\/02\/10\/federal-judge-john-mcconnell-jr-trump-admin-criminal-charges-spending-freeze-dem-donor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">donor<\/a>), essentially comparing Trump to a &lsquo;tyrant&rsquo; who has strained the rule of law in the country, which raises serious concerns about impartiality.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking in an interview in 2021, McConnell suggested that under the four years of the first Trump administration, the country essentially came close to &ldquo;popping&rdquo; like a balloon &ldquo;with the challenges that have occurred to the rule of law in this country.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>McConnell also appeared to liken the time period of Trump&rsquo;s first term to the Civil War era.&nbsp;Calling on a few historical examples, he claimed that &ldquo;courts stand and enforce the rule of law that is against arbitrary and capricious actions by what could be a tyrant.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve [seen] plenty examples of that recently,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;[T]here are plenty of examples over history and there are plenty of examples over the last four years where it&rsquo;s the courts that kept that balloon from bursting when it was challenged.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p><strong>[READNEXT:[READNEXT:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/02\/07\/if-elons-doge-is-to-successfully-cut-government-waste-there-can-be-no-but-about-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">If Elon&rsquo;s DOGE Is To Successfully Cut Government Waste, There Can Be No &lsquo;But&rsquo; About It<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>McConnell goes on to <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/nataliegwinters\/status\/1889510506366378394\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">refer<\/a> to himself as a &ldquo;middle class, white male, privileged person&rdquo; who &ldquo;needs to understand&rdquo; others &mdash; including women, &ldquo;black,&rdquo; &ldquo;transgender,&rdquo; poor, and rich people &mdash; when issuing rulings. This also raises questions regarding impartiality.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The key to me is that you bring empathy to whatever you do as a judge,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;[Y]ou have to walk in their shoes and understand that the law applies to them where they are, and then you have to apply the law accordingly.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Brianna Lyman<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/briannalyman2\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@briannalyman2<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/briannalyman\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/activist-judges\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">activist judges<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/doge\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Doge<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/elon-musk\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Elon Musk<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/federal-spending\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">federal spending<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/lawfare\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">lawfare<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/taxpayer-dollars\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">taxpayer dollars<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/transgender\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">transgender<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/treasury-department\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Treasury Department<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/usaid\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">USAID<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The judge seeking to compel President Trump to restart taxpayer spending previously referred to him as a &#8220;tyrant.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":2401924,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-02-12-at-11.30.26-AM-e1739377924760-1024x577.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[5387,36794,49479,3634,16048],"class_list":["post-2401923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-judge","tag-legal-ruling","tag-spending-freeze","tag-trump","tag-tyrant"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-02-12-at-11.30.26-AM-e1739377924760-1024x577.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2401923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2401923"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2401923\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2401927,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2401923\/revisions\/2401927"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2401924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2401923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2401923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2401923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}