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In the News: William C. Banks

Banks Quoted in ABC News Article on Trump’s Proposed Mass Deportation Program

Using the military for domestic law enforcement would be a fundamental shift, one which too few Americans have considered or grappled with, says William Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs. “It would turn our whole society upside down…all these arguments about him [Trump] being an autocrat or dictator, it is not a stretch.”

November 4, 2024

Banks Piece on Drones Making Wars Deadlier Published in The Globe and Mail

"Drones have been a feature of war for several decades, but today’s conflicts such as the Israel-Hamas war and the Ukraine war show how the technology is changing modern combat. Ever more powerful drones have become cheaper and easier to fabricate and deploy," writes William Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs.

December 29, 2023

Banks Discusses the Insurrection Act, Trump’s Proposed Use of the Military in AP Article

“There is a big thumb on the scale in favor of the president’s interpretation of whether the order is lawful,” says William Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs. “You’d have a really big row to hoe and you would have a big fuss inside the military if you chose not to follow a presidential order.”

December 10, 2023

Banks Testimony Cited in AP, Wash Post Articles on Colorado Lawsuit to Bar Trump From the Ballot

William Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs, says that once the attack on the Capitol began, Trump had options he did not use. “He should respond to his constitutional responsibilities to protect the security of the United States when there’s an assault on our democratic process,” Banks says of Trump.

November 10, 2023

Banks Quoted in The Hill Article on Trump’s Indictments

“Going forward I think there’s almost no doubt he’s going to be indicted in Washington. And because he’s going to be indicted in Washington and the potential for a jury that would sit and judge him in Washington, his prospects for remaining free got a lot darker,” says William Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs.

July 29, 2023

Banks Comments on Military Vehicles in Urban Areas, Rumors of Martial Law in Military Times

“What people are seeing now is what people have seen every summer for as long as I’ve been alive,” says William Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs. “Folks are taking their summer National Guard duty right now and riding convoys to wherever they’re going to be. For many of us, it’s a regular scene in the summer on the highways.”

July 15, 2023

Banks Speaks With KCBS and South China Morning Post About Trump’s Indictment, Presidential Race

While Trump’s “most diehard supporters are always going to be supporters no matter what…some people who are on the margins, part of the 40 percent that voted for him a couple of times, will tend to peel away,” says William Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs.

June 16, 2023

Banks Weighs in on Claim that Nashville Protest Was an Insurrection in USA Today Article

“The critical difference is there was no threat to the integrity of a democracy in Tennessee,” says William Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs. “Insurrection conditions occur when civilian authorities are unable to enforce the laws. That was a real threat on Jan. 6. Not so in Nashville.”

April 28, 2023

Banks Weighs in on Trump’s Indictment in Agence France Presse, Spectrum News and WAER Articles

William Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs, tells Agence France Presse the case is "fraught" with difficulties and the charges pale in comparison to the legal jeopardy Trump could face elsewhere. Banks specifically cites Georgia, where prosecutors are investigating Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the southern state.

April 13, 2023

Banks Discusses Claim That Trump Ordered National Guard Troops to Deploy on Jan. 6 in AP Article

The online claims “make no sense at all,” William C. Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs, tells the Associated Press.

October 26, 2022

See related: Congress, Federal, United States

Banks Quoted in BBC News Article on Accuracy of US Strike on al-Qaeda Leader Ayman al-Zawahiri

Professor Emeritus William Banks was interviewed for the BBC News article, "Ayman al-Zawahiri: How US strike could kill al-Qaeda leader - but not his family."

August 3, 2022

Banks Weighs in on Whether or Not Trump Will be Prosecuted for Role in Jan. 6 Attack in VOA

Professor Emeritus William Banks was interviewed for the VOA News article, "Will Trump Be Prosecuted Over Role in January 6 Attack?"

July 22, 2022

See related: Congress, Federal, United States

Banks Discusses the Third Jan. 6 Committee Hearing on CBS News

William Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs, joined CBS News to discuss the third Jan. 6 Committee hearing.

June 22, 2022

Banks Reviews the Legal Implications of the Jan. 6 Capitol Riot Hearings on CBS News

William Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs, joined CBS News to discuss the legal implications of House select committee hearings on the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

June 15, 2022

Banks Talks to New York Observer About NATO, Cyberwarfare

William Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs, discusses NATO and cyberwarfare in New York Observer article.
February 25, 2022

See related: Cybersecurity, NATO, Russia, Ukraine

Banks Talks to CNY Central, WAER One Year After Jan. 6 Insurrection

Professor Emeritus William C. Banks worries the disinformation that fueled the attack on the U.S. Capitol one year ago will lead to additional unrest in the future.
January 13, 2022

In Memoriam: Montgomery Meigs, Retired General and Former Bantle Chair

Montgomery C. Meigs, a retired four-star general who commanded U.S. Army forces in Europe and served as the Louis A. Bantle Chair in Business and Government Policy at the Maxwell School, died on July 6, 2021, in Austin, Texas. He was 76.
July 29, 2021

See related: In Memoriam, Veterans

Banks discusses Department of Justice secret subpoenas on Bloomberg Law

On the latest Bloomberg Law podcast episode, Professor Emeritus and national security law expert William Banks discussed the controversy over revelations the Justice Department under former President Donald Trump had secretly subpoenaed records from House Democrats, former White House Counsel Don McGahn and members of the media. 
June 21, 2021

Banks comments on President Bush's handling of 9/11 attacks in South China Morning Post

"Bush and many others overreacted to 9/11," says Professor Emeritus William Banks. "I blame him and especially (vice-president) Dick Cheney and then (defense secretary) Donald Rumsfeld for the reckless policies," he says. But Bush was "never nativist," and his recent efforts on immigration are not a "whitewashing" of history but appear to be a genuine effort at problem-solving, Banks adds. 
April 28, 2021

Banks weighs in on Trump's legal problems in Newsday article

"There are various possibilities here for hiding assets or overvaluing or undervaluing assets," says Professor Emeritus William C. Banks, who was quoted in the Newsday article, "Trump’s legal problems escalate even though he’s not in power."
March 1, 2021
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