YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – A nationally known media and constitutional law attorney said the Trump administration is using the power of the office of president to target criticism and dissent.
Attorney David Marburger addressed members of the Youngstown Press Club on Thursday during the club’s meeting at the main branch of the Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County.
Marburger was born in New Castle, Pa., and grew up in Pittsburgh North Hills.
“I’ve lived my whole life in either Cleveland or Pittsburgh, and I really miss my former country,” Marburger said in his talk, titled “From the front lines of press freedom: The legal threats reshaping the news.”
He played a video from the June 7 “Meet the Press” interview when President Donald Trump said the 2020 election was rigged, called several media outlets crooked and walked off the set, cutting short the interview with host Kristen Welker.
Marburger was the founding general counsel for the Ohio Coalition for Open Government and has been practicing First Amendment law for more than 40 years. He’s a retired partner in the national law firm BakerHostetler, primarily working from its Cleveland office. He has defended media in more than 110 libel suits.
Marburger represents Mahoning Valley media outlets including WFMJ. He also represented the Vindicator under its former ownership.
Tony Paglia, retired senior regional editor at The Vindicator and Youngstown Press Club president-elect, worked with Marburger at the newspaper.
“He was our go-to lawyer when it came to libel issues, threats of lawsuits, as well as open records and open meeting disputes, and there were a lot of them,” Paglia said. “And his take on any problems we had was always on the mark.”
Marburger thought like a journalist, Paglia said, and worked at a Pittsburgh news radio station before enrolling in law school. The attorney is also co-author of “Access with Attitude: An Advocate’s Guide to Freedom of Information in Ohio.”
Marburger showed a March social media post from Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, in which Carr wrote about Iran war coverage:
“Broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions – also known as the fake news – have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up. The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not.”
The media lawyer also showed a portion of the transcript of White House tapes after the Watergate break-in. In it, the late former President Richard Nixon and members of his administration discussed targeting FCC licenses owned by the Washington Post company. The newspaper had published several articles about the break-in.
Marburger also referred to several lawsuits brought by Trump against media outlets, including some filed under consumer protection laws. One of those suits, filed in federal law in Texas, centered on the editing of a 2024 “60 Minutes” interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris when she was running for president.
Lawsuits brought under consumer protection laws generally involve false advertising that induces someone to buy a product, Marburger said.
“But first I have to part with my money because I’m induced by your false ad. Now, where is that happening here?” he said.
Marburger also cited investigations launched by the U.S. Justice Department into those who have been critical of Trump or who have not followed his wishes. He listed former Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Newsom’s wife and U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff of California.
“This whole problem isn’t about singling out the press,” Marburger said. “That’s not what the chief danger is here. It’s singling out criticism, public criticism. How do we know that? Because he doesn’t limit his abuses of power and his abuses of the judicial system to attacking just a critical press …”
Pictured at top: Attorney David Marburger speaks during the Youngstown Press Club meeting Thursday.