CNN’s Elie Honig blends humor and hard truths during RIPPAC speaker series

What is happening now in the U.S. Department of Justice is different – and worse – than anything seen in recent history, according to CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig. 

Honig unpacked prosecution, politics and presidential accountability during “An Evening with Elie Honig,” a free public event on March 26 hosted by the Rowan Institute for Public Policy & Citizenship (RIPPAC). Born and raised in southern New Jersey, Honig provides on-air commentary for CNN on news relating to the U.S. Department of Justice, the Supreme Court, major criminal trials and congressional and grand jury investigations, policing and other legal issues.

The federal prosecutor turned on-air commentator discussed his career trajectory and becoming a journalist “by accident,” noting the skills translate because the core of both jobs are the same — breaking down complex information for an audience. Honig then highlighted shorthand phrases he never uses on-air, like “smoking gun” and “what's he hiding?,” before segueing into discussing current events. 

Framing everything through a legal lens, Honig asserts his 14 years as a prosecutor were built on the idea that prosecution must be independent of politics, calling the current politicization of the Department of Justice a break in the historical chain. 

“This is anathema of everything the DOJ is about,” said Honig, recalling when a friend sent him a photo of the banner of President Trump hanging above the Department of Justice building. “It violates any notion that prosecution must be independent,” adding it is against everything that prosecutors “ought to be about.”  

Politics Playbook 

In the latter half of the evening, Honig joined RIPPAC director Ben Dworkin for a Q &A, blending humor, candor and further insights into the American justice system. 

Honig commented on the “outrageously broad” Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity and discussed Presidential pardons and how far pardon power actually goes.  

“Pardon power is one of the few areas where the presidency works the way a kindergartner thinks it works,” said Honig, adding that pardons serve as a blunt-force instrument in that they cannot be challenged in a court or overridden by Congress. 

Honig is a national bestselling author of three books for HarperCollins, including “When You Come at the King: Inside the DOJ’s Pursuit of the President, from Nixon to Trump.” Drawing from his most recent work, he also discussed the history of administrations under investigation or scrutiny that pre-dates both Trump and the Watergate scandal. As early as the 1870s Ulysses S. Grant appointed someone to investigate the tax collector who was collecting tax from whiskey distillers and was taking kickbacks. He then tried to fire the prosecutor, undermined him in the press and then complained the press was coming after him. “This playbook has existed for a long time,” noted Honig. 

A “typical” day 

Honig describes his role with CNN as an “unpredictable gig”, but says it boils down to three types of days. There are the “on air now” days where he drops everything to get in front of a camera, adding his personal best is swimming in the community pool to dressed and ready, live on-air in 18 minutes. There are the “washout” days where all plans collapse thanks to urgent or breaking news. On a rare occasion, there are planned days where all scheduled hits go as planned. Thursday was one of those days, thanks to RIPPAC and Rowan’s Radio, Television and Film department. Immediately before and after this talk, Honig did a live hit on The Lead with Jake Tapper from Rowan’s Glassboro campus. In a post to his personal Instagram, he commended the "fantastic group” of students and staff for handling the remote reporting “like absolute pros.” 

In closing, Honig offered the students in the audience what he wished he knew when he was in college. 

“The phrase ‘career path’ is very misleading, because a path suggests a linear straight line,” said Honig. “Your paths will not be paths. They will not be straight. They will be marked with rejection and failure,” adding students should have grace for themselves, accept failure and be persistent. 

Established in 2018, RIPPAC is dedicated to informing, training and engaging the Rowan community on public issues related to politics, policy and citizen engagement. The institute hosts programs and events throughout the year to support students’ academic and career development and facilitate public policy, research, discussion and discourse. 

“An Evening with Elie Honig” marks RIPPAC’s final speaker for the 2025-2026 academic year. Most recently, RIPPAC hosted Governor Phil Murphy, Congressman Donald Norcross and former Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, who also served as U.S. ambassador to Italy.