The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell - June 1 — Audio Only

[0:00] Dead for now. Dead for now was the first report today about Donald Trump's slush fund of $1.776 [0:10] billion that he was planning to give to people who were convicted of crimes against the United [0:16] States of America in their attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, to try to overturn a presidential [0:23] election for Donald Trump, to try to kill police officers on the way to doing that, and to try to [0:28] kill the vice president of the United States while they were at it. Donald Trump wanted those people [0:32] to get money from the federal government, and now, dead for now, dead for now, to Donald Trump's [0:42] criminal insurgency group that attacked the Capitol on January 6. Dead for now are the words of an [0:52] unnamed White House source who told Mark Caputo at Axios, it's dead for now. But for the Democrats [1:01] in Congress opposing the Trump slush fund, it is not dead enough. And very much to Donald Trump's [1:08] surprise, I'm sure. In fact, I'm sure he doesn't realize this even now. It is not dead enough for [1:14] Donald Trump either. It's still alive enough to cause Donald Trump serious legal problems now of [1:24] his own. Because the incompetent buffoons around Donald Trump who call themselves lawyers in the [1:29] Trump Justice Department and in the White House and the lawyers who represent Donald Trump personally, [1:34] they, because they have appeared to have wildly outsmarted themselves in putting Donald Trump [1:40] in serious legal trouble now with a federal judge, the kind of legal trouble that Donald Trump's [1:46] Supreme Court did not spare him from in their decision granting Donald Trump criminal immunity [1:53] for possible crimes that he might commit as president. Supreme Court didn't foresee this situation [1:59] and couldn't protect him from it. The Trump slush fund, accompanied by a Justice Spartan promise that [2:06] the IRS would never be allowed to investigate any possible Trump tax crimes that Donald Trump and his [2:13] family may have committed up to now, was the single most preposterous development in Donald Trump's [2:21] litigation history, which is full of preposterous developments. And now it looks like the Trump lawyers [2:29] on all sides of that one went way too far. Donald Trump pushed it so far that Republicans turned [2:37] against him in the House and in the Senate. And the Republican Speaker of the House reportedly told [2:42] Donald Trump today that the Republican House would vote against Donald Trump's slush fund settlement [2:47] if it comes to a vote in the House. And so it's dead for now, which means that Donald Trump's political [2:54] power in the House of Representatives is also dead for now. Donald Trump's political power in the Senate [3:00] on this issue was already known to be dead. The Senate Republican leader, John Thune, had said all [3:07] along that the Trump slush fund was not a good idea. And as time went on, John Thune became more and more [3:13] clear that he personally was against it. And then Chuck Schumer promising to bring up votes in the Senate [3:19] on Donald Trump's slush fund. Last week, Republicans in the Senate in a private meeting [3:24] attacked Donald Trump's acting attorney general, who used to be Donald Trump's criminal defense lawyer, [3:30] Todd Blanche, who created the Trump slush fund. Those Republicans in the room, some of them said [3:38] that it was the harshest questioning of an administration official that they have ever seen [3:43] in any closed meeting in the Senate. But it's already too late for Donald Trump to easily [3:50] kill the $1.776 billion political monster that he created. It's too late. Senate Majority Leader [4:01] John Thune was not satisfied today with unnamed White House staffers saying it's dead for now. [4:08] The administration need to be clear that it's not coming back so that those Republicans who were [4:16] skeptical during that briefing feel a move to proceed. That would be the ideal outcome. [4:22] The ideal outcome is dead forever. There's the Republican Senate leader, John Thune, saying the [4:32] ideal outcome is for Donald Trump to come out and officially say it is dead, not just for now. [4:37] It is dead and never coming back. And while he was at it, John Thune said the other thing that is dead [4:43] in the Republican United States Senate is the Trump ballroom. What Senator John Ossoff this weekend [4:50] called the Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Ballroom. Well, again, I think that confining the bill to its [5:03] original intent, which was a very narrowly focused reconciliation bill that just dresses a little [5:11] funny for those two agencies, is the clearest path to ultimately getting a bill on the president's desk. [5:18] So, no, the Trump ballroom will not be in the Republican reconciliation bill. John Thune saying [5:26] the Republican Senate will not be voting for the billion dollars Donald Trump wants from them, [5:34] for what Senator Ossoff will be calling the Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Ballroom if a vote [5:39] on the Trump ballroom occurs on the floor of the Senate. Donald Trump is politically radioactive now, [5:47] and Republicans in the House and Senate know it. The Republicans in the House and the Senate know [5:52] that their worst enemy in the coming elections in November is Donald Trump. And Democrats in the [6:00] Senate and the House have reason to believe that the enormity of Donald Trump's corruption and the [6:05] corruption in his administration is getting through to voters and could build, be a decisive issue [6:14] in November. And the problem for Donald Trump and the Republicans is that even if Donald Trump comes [6:21] out right now and says the magic words that John Thune wants him to say that the Trump slush fund is dead [6:28] and dead forever and the ballroom is dead with it, it is now beyond Donald Trump's powers to stop the [6:37] investigation of his slush fund that two federal judges have undertaken, with one judge ordering a [6:44] hearing on the subject next week on June 12th. That is the federal judge in Virginia who last week [6:51] ordered a complete stop to any and all activity involving the establishment or operating of the [6:57] Trump slush fund. But the possibly more difficult legal problem for Donald Trump now is that Judge [7:05] Kathleen Williams in the Southern District of Florida is using her unique power as a federal judge to [7:11] investigate not just Donald Trump's lawyers at the Justice Department and Donald Trump's personal lawyer, [7:18] but also Donald Trump himself. Donald Trump filed his case against the Internal Revenue Service in [7:26] federal court in the Southern District of Florida in the hope of getting one of those Trump-friendly [7:32] Florida federal judges down there, which can happen because judges are randomly assigned. Instead, [7:39] Donald Trump got Judge Kathleen Williams, who was appointed to the federal court by President Barack [7:45] Obama. And last week, in response to a motion by a group of former federal judges to reopen the Trump [7:52] case against the IRS to investigate the legitimacy of the so-called settlement of that lawsuit, the judge [8:02] decided to do exactly that, saying that something extremely threatening to Donald Trump's acting attorney general, [8:10] and to Donald Trump, was possible here. The judge wrote, [8:15] a court is empowered to investigate serious misconduct as a collateral issue within the purview of Rule 11 [8:23] and determine whether an attorney has abused the judicial process. It is very clear that attorneys [8:31] abused the judicial process in this case, and so all of those attorneys are in serious trouble tonight. [8:37] The judge said, under Rule 11, a court may impose sanctions on a lawyer for advocating a frivolous [8:45] position, pursuing an unfounded claim, or filing a lawsuit for some improper purpose. The Trump lawyers [8:54] know that a White House source simply telling Axios that it's dead for now does not get them out of trouble [9:01] with this federal judge. But the next line of the judge's order on Friday is a direct threat to Donald [9:11] Trump himself. Donald Trump is not a lawyer in the case who can be disciplined as a lawyer, but Donald Trump [9:18] is a party to the case. He is the party in the case. He is the party who actually brought the case [9:27] against the Internal Revenue Service, giving the case the title, Donald J. Trump versus Internal Revenue [9:34] Service. And about Donald J. Trump, the judge wrote this, a party's decision to file a frivolous lawsuit [9:44] for the sole purpose of forcing a settlement may qualify as such an improper abuse. If a party files [9:53] a lawsuit for an improper purpose, the court may impose an appropriate sanction on the responsible [10:03] party. So here is a federal judge who now has the power, depending on the outcome of her investigation, [10:11] to impose a penalty on Donald Trump for doing all of this. The judge gave Donald Trump until June 12th, [10:21] next week, to answer this question in writing, quote, of whether the case should be reopened [10:30] because the court was the victim of a fraud. Former federal prosecutor Barbara McQuaid will join us [10:38] later in this hour to consider what's coming for Donald Trump in court because of the legally perverse [10:44] and obviously indefensible so-called settlement. Donald Trump's former criminal defense lawyer [10:50] forced the Justice Department to make with his former criminal client, Donald Trump. The stink of [10:58] it all has reached the point where Senator John Ossoff this weekend could refer to the whole complex [11:05] of Trump corruption as the Mar-a-Lago mafia. And it is too late for someone in the White House to [11:12] simply declare Donald Trump's slush fund dead for now. It's too late for Donald Trump to reverse the [11:18] overwhelming image of corruption on a previously unimaginable scale in the presidency. And Senator [11:26] John Ossoff, who is running for reelection in Georgia, has clearly decided that American voters [11:31] have heard enough about what Donald Trump is up to and what Republicans in Congress have been allowing [11:37] him to do, that when Senator Ossoff says he's been trying to rob us, voters know exactly what that means. [11:47] Now, Atlanta, these crowds, they keep growing. Something is happening in Georgia. Every backyard, [12:00] every living room is full. And crowds like this leave no doubt that Georgia is ready to do our part [12:07] again to save our republic. Now, many of you are here because you recognize the urgency of opposition [12:13] to this unprecedented corruption and incompetence. And you recognize the stakes of these midterm elections [12:23] when Georgia's voice will be decisive once again. His presidency crumbling. Donald spent Saturday [12:36] complaining on the Internet. Listen to this. Six hours, 52 posts. The president attacked the Pope. [12:53] He posted his own face on Mount Rushmore and a made-up Trump peace prize. He announced three times [12:59] America's back. And he assured an increasingly concerned public he's in excellent health. [13:03] And when not posting, he's been trying to rob us. Have you seen it? He sued the U.S. government [13:19] he commands for $10 billion. Then he settled the suit with himself to create a $1.8 billion slush fund [13:34] so he can cut checks to cronies and Jan 6 foot soldiers. The same men who sacked the Capitol [13:45] to seize the presidency for Donald Trump, who beat police officers with flagpoles, built a gallows [13:52] on the Capitol lawn and hunted the vice president to lynch him. Donald Trump's brown shirts. He [14:00] pardoned them. And now he wants you to pay him. He's trying to put his face on the money. Did you see [14:15] that? He's building a monument to himself. But see, Atlanta, he's doing these things now because no one [14:28] will honor him when he's gone. Because he's a failed president and a national disgrace. And while you pay [14:51] more for everything, Donald Trump wants your tax dollars for what many are calling the Jeffrey [14:58] Epstein Memorial Ballroom. John Ossoff showed Democrats how to campaign against Donald Trump's [15:10] failed economic policies and Donald Trump's war, as John Ossoff said, built on lies. This president [15:22] promised a golden age. Instead, the economy has lost tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs since [15:30] he launched the big illegal tariffs. And more Americans are falling behind on their credit cards [15:34] than any time since the Great Recession. Inflation's higher than when Trump took office. Unemployment's [15:42] higher than when Trump took office. And consumer sentiment's at its worst in 70 years. The president [15:49] promised to fight for the working class and end foreign wars. Instead, he cut your health care to give [16:00] the rich another tax break. And last week, yet more Americans were wounded in a war no one voted for [16:06] and no one can explain. This war in Iran is the worst foreign policy blunder since Iraq. And just like [16:21] the Iraq war, it's a war built on lies. Let's just update the record. On day one of the war, day one, [16:35] the president said it was running ahead of schedule. On day 10, he said it was very complete. Day 21, [16:47] getting very close. Day 32, leaving very soon. On day 39, the president of the United States said a whole [16:56] civilization will die tonight. And on the next day, day 40, he declared total and complete victory. [17:07] Day 67, great progress. Day 79, the clock is ticking. Today is day 92. And on day 92, Iran's ballistic missiles [17:19] and drones have not been destroyed. The Strait of Hormuz, which was open before the war, is still closed. The regime [17:26] is intact along with its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. A stockpile Iran only built after President Trump [17:34] shredded President Obama's Iran deal. You remember that? Just weeks into this war, they said they'd [17:46] need $200 billion to fund it. Let me put that in perspective for you. $200 billion would fund [17:57] a decade, 10 full years of nationwide universal pre-kindergarten. The America first president who [18:10] said he would end foreign wars to put America first and focus on America's working class. Instead, [18:16] now he says, quote, it's not possible for us to take care of daycare, Medicaid or Medicare. Now he [18:24] says all we can afford is war. Now he demands we cut cancer and Alzheimer's research to throw even more [18:34] money at Pete Hegsef's Pentagon. While the Financial Times reports, quote, Pete Hegsef's broker looked to [18:45] buy defense fund before Iran attack. Y'all remember they promised to drain the swamp? Instead, this is [18:56] the most corrupt administration of all time and everybody knows it. Everybody knows it. [19:03] The Mar-a-Lago mafia has taken American corruption to spectacular new heights. [19:11] Donald Trump's rise is a symptom of this deeper disease. And I suspect many of you are here because [19:21] you recognize that our task is not just to contain his wickedness, but to cure the rot that gave rise [19:29] to it. That's how you do it. We'll be right back. The reason I've shown you so much of what Senator [19:52] John Ossoff had to say yesterday in his reelection campaign is that he does seem to have found the [19:59] framing that is most likely to succeed for Democrats on all issues that he discussed yesterday. It wasn't [20:07] just corruption. But yesterday, after cataloging in detail what the Senator called the corruption of [20:14] the Mar-a-Lago mafia, he ended his comments this way. I suspect many of you are here today because [20:24] you're deeply troubled by the pain so many of our fellow Georgians and fellow Americans and fellow [20:29] human beings are enduring right now. The terror of a child watching ICE take away his mother. [20:37] The despair of a cancer patient losing coverage mid-treatment. Maybe they don't care in the White [20:47] House or in the governor's mansion, but that ache in your heart, that pit in your stomach, that's what [20:55] reminds us we're all in this together. That we're not just one United States, we're one united people. [21:03] E pluribus unum. Out of many, one. And see, this is what small men like Donald Trump and J.D. Vance [21:14] and Stephen Miller will never understand. That our national greatness flows not through our blood [21:21] or our genes, but through our ideas. [21:23] Stay down at Mar-a-Lago that Georgia will bow to no king. [21:42] Bless you. Let's get to work. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. [21:51] Joining us now is Senator Gary Peters of Michigan. He's the top Democrat in the Senate Homeland Security [22:02] Committee and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Appropriations Committees. [22:06] Senator Peters, thank you very much for joining us tonight. And one of the reasons I've decided [22:10] to show so much of what Senator Ossoff had to say yesterday is it's very common to hear, [22:15] and I'm sure you've heard it, that the Democrats need to find their voice in this campaign season [22:22] that is not just an anti-Trump voice, but that both joins the anti-corruption statements that the [22:31] campaign has to make with the actual governing policy positions of Democrats, which is what the [22:37] senators seem to do yesterday. And for viewers out there who I know are looking for this kind of [22:43] speech, they're looking for this kind of statement that they can understand as a candidacy [22:49] going forward, this seemed to be the best one recently that I could present. And you have more [22:56] experience than anybody in the Senate right now electing Democrats, having run the Democratic Senate [23:01] Campaign Committee a couple of times. Usually people only have to do that once. You did it more than once, [23:07] because you did it so well. What is your view of the way Senator Ossoff is approaching this [23:13] campaign? Is that the kind of framing that you think is going to work for Democrats? [23:19] Yeah, absolutely, Lawrence. And I'm glad you showed so much of that speech. Senator Ossoff [23:24] certainly knows what he's talking about. He knows how to frame the issues. And ultimately, [23:29] you know, what campaigns are about, it's about a contrast. When you go into vote, you're going to [23:35] choose between two candidates, their vision for the future. You also look at their record in the [23:40] past and what they have done or not done and make a decision. And so as Democrats, as we're [23:45] campaigning around the country, certainly we have a lot to talk about in terms of the disaster that [23:50] the Trump administration has been and the fact that Republicans basically rubber stamp all of these [23:57] horrible things that happen daily in the Trump administration. But it's also about a forward [24:03] mission or a vision of what we stand for to make sure that people can afford themselves, not just to [24:09] get by, but actually have an ability to live a fulfilling life to be able to afford basic things [24:15] like groceries, fuel, to be able to make sure your children have a quality education, affordable [24:21] health care. And when it's all said and done, that you can retire with dignity. You know, that has [24:26] always been the democratic message. We're going to double down on what we stand for. And it's going [24:31] to be very easy to paint that contrast of where Donald Trump is. You know, we've talked about this [24:37] slush fund, this horrible abomination that is absolute corruption. I know you started the program [24:45] saying that some person said, well, it's dead for now. As Democrats, we're going to make sure it's [24:51] dead forever, not just now. We have to kill that. And we also have to do things like make sure that [24:57] what is what they haven't said is dead is the fact that Donald Trump negotiated with himself to make [25:04] sure the IRS can't audit him. And here's a president who we know has paid little or no income tax when [25:10] everyday Americans pay their taxes. So they pay it as good citizens and understand how important [25:16] that is for a strong country. And yet you have a guy like Donald Trump that doesn't pay anything [25:21] while he leads us into war that costs everyday Americans. Right now, it's been estimated just [25:26] an energy cost, nearly 500 extra dollars to them. That is putting a severe strain on Americans. [25:33] That's why they want to change. You know, the Federal Reserve did a study and it showed that about [25:38] 37 percent of Americans would have a hard time coming up with $400 in cash to pay for some sort [25:46] of emergency bill. And already in the last 90 days, they're paying nearly $500 in energy costs. [25:51] That puts people in a terrible situation. They want somebody in Washington that's looking out for [25:57] them, who's going to fight for them to bring down health care costs and make sure housing costs are [26:01] down. That's what Democrats are focused on. And we're going to be offering a very clear contrast. [26:06] And when you offer a clear contrast like that, you win elections. And more importantly, right now, [26:11] you put the checks and balances that are absolutely essential to rein in a corrupt administration like [26:17] we're seeing in the Trump administration. That has to be reined in. Our founders expected Congress [26:23] to stand up and hold the president accountable. That's not happening. But when you vote for Democrats [26:29] and you send Democrats to Washington and put us in the majority, we will finally have accountability [26:34] here in Washington and lean into the things that people care about each and every day. [26:39] Senator Gary Peters, thank you very much for joining us tonight. [26:43] Thank you. [26:45] Coming up, it's all Todd Blanche's fault. That's what Donald Trump's fired attorney general told [26:51] the Congressional Committee. That's next with Congressman Ro Khanna. [26:56] On Friday, Donald Trump's now fired attorney general, Pamela Bondi, participated in what the [27:08] Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee called a committee interview. So she [27:14] was not formally put under oath. Chairman James Comer was challenged on that before the hearing [27:20] by a group of women who survived the abuse of sex trafficker and rapist Jeffrey Epstein, who [27:26] was Donald Trump's closest friend for 10 years. [27:31] Can you ensure that they would please be brought in under oath? [27:36] If you lie to Congress, it's a felony. So it's, you know, we're bringing them in. We're bringing [27:43] people in that have never been brought in before. [27:44] The transcript of the committee's interview with Bondi has not yet been released, but her [27:51] written statement is public. And her key line, really the only thing she wanted to say about [27:59] the Epstein files could not be more clear. Quote, I delegated oversight over this process to Deputy [28:08] Attorney General Todd Blanche. So there's Donald Trump's first attorney general putting all the [28:14] blame for every delay, every mistake and every attempt to block the release of the Epstein files [28:21] on Donald Trump's current acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, who was Donald Trump's criminal defense [28:27] lawyer. Todd Blanche is also the author of the most insane document ever issued by the Justice [28:33] Department saying on one piece of paper on May 19th, signed only by Todd Blanche, that the Department [28:40] of Justice, quote, is hereby forever barred and precluded from prosecuting or pursuing any cases [28:48] against Donald Trump and his family that might be pending as of May 19th, quote, including tax returns [28:55] filed before the effective date of May 19th. Todd Blanche's depraved use of his position in the Justice [29:03] Department has done more to expose presidential corruption than even Richard Nixon's two indicted [29:09] attorneys general did during the Nixon presidency. And now Todd Blanche is being publicly blamed [29:17] for everything Donald Trump's Justice Department has done with the Epstein files. Joining us now is [29:24] Democratic Congressman Roe Conner of California. He is a member of the Oversight Committee. [29:29] Congressman Conner, to Chairman Comer's point there about, he seemed to be saying it doesn't matter [29:36] if Bondi was under oath because lying to Congress is a crime. What's your reaction to that? [29:42] Well, I was so sad that the survivors said they felt that they didn't matter. And this was, of course, [29:48] the cardinal sin of Epstein treating the survivors as dispensable. And now they're making to feel that [29:54] way again. But look, Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, they were videotaped. They were under oath. [30:01] Comer made a whole spectacle of this. And now Pam Boddy, who's responsible for the whole investigation, [30:07] you're not putting her under oath. You're not having her videotaped. I mean, [30:10] it is totally covering up for Bondi. We know that she had a meeting in the White House about the [30:19] Epstein files with Donald Trump. What did she say about that? She refused to answer a single [30:27] question about her interaction with Donald Trump. Armie Dillon, the assistant attorney general, [30:33] instructed her not to answer anything with Donald Trump. It's obvious at this point it's a total [30:38] cover-up with Trump. And, Lawrence, look, Orban fell in Hungary because of a sex abuse scandal, [30:45] covering up a sex abuse scandal. And you see Trump now being exposed for the same kind of cover-up, [30:51] and he's going to have the same fate. [30:53] So Donald Trump is now discovering that not only did Todd Blanche not come up with a genius plan [31:03] for this Trump slush fund and for Trump's so-called immunity with the IRS, but he's actually caused [31:10] Donald Trump a tremendous amount of political problems with this slush fund. And he's causing [31:15] Donald Trump what could be serious legal problems in the future with these federal judges because of [31:20] their investigations of this settlement. And now here's Bondi saying the Epstein files, [31:25] 100%, 100% Todd Blanche's fault. Well, she basically came in, she blamed Todd Blanche for [31:34] everything. She blamed Kash Patel because she said that he already got redacted documents. And then [31:40] she had the audacity to blame Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney, saying that's why we don't have [31:44] any investigations and prosecutions. She knows it's a sinking ship. The slush fund basically exposed [31:51] that this is a mafia-like government. It's totally corrupt. Senator Ossoff called it out in his [31:56] brilliant speech. And the reality is the cards are folding. Senators are rebelling now, [32:03] and Trump is seeing that. And they want to make Todd Blanche the fall guy. That's what Pam Bondi was [32:08] trying to do. Carson Ro Khanna, thank you very much for joining us tonight. Appreciate it. [32:15] Coming up, with Senator John Ossoff now campaigning against what he calls the Mar-a-Lago Mafia, [32:21] our next guest, Barbara McQuaid, has published a new book titled The Fix, [32:27] Saving America from the Corruption of a Mob-Style Government. Barbara McQuaid joins us next. [32:46] Donald Trump is now the employer of the most incompetent government lawyers in history, [32:51] led by his deputy, his acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, who was his criminal defense lawyer. [32:58] And now the New York Times is reporting on the loss of legal talent by the Trump administration. [33:04] Quote, roughly one in five lawyers who worked in the government at the end of 2024 had left by March [33:11] of this year. According to a New York Times analysis of federal employment data, their departures show [33:17] how rapidly the president has eroded the image of the federal government as the gold standard for [33:24] lawyers seeking public service roles. Instead, many of those looking for such work [33:31] are flocking to the offices of Democratic state attorneys general and non-profits that are [33:38] challenging administration policies in the courts. Donald Trump responded to the New York Times story [33:45] on social media by saying, the New York Times wrote a story today entitled, [33:50] Trump administration sees striking exodus of legal talent as though that's a bad thing, [33:57] when actually it's very good. Donald Trump's extremely untalented lawyers at the Justice [34:03] Department and the White House have left him lost tonight with his Trump slush fund now declared [34:10] dead for now by one unnamed White House staffer. Joining us now is former federal prosecutor Barbara [34:16] McQuaid, whose perfectly timed new book is titled, The Fix, Saving America from the Corruption [34:24] of a mob-style government. Barbara McQuaid, thank you very much for joining us tonight. [34:31] Let's go, this fits in nicely with John Ossoff's speech about what he's now calling the Mar-a-Lago [34:37] Mafia, but let's go straight to the fix and apply to what we're seeing, for example, in some of [34:43] these news stories today. What are the fixes that we need? Well, clearly, some of the things we need [34:50] is to improve the guardrails with regard to the Department of Justice. Donald Trump has transformed [34:55] what was once the crown jewel of the U.S. government into his own personal law firm. He has used it, [35:02] as you have described in great detail, to create this slush fund. He has used it to go after his [35:08] enemies, and he's used it to reward, through pardons, people who have served him in violating [35:14] the law. There are guardrails we can put into place. There are things we can do, like codifying [35:19] some of the policies that are there at the Justice Department, like the principles of federal [35:24] prosecution and the FBI's domestic investigations operations guide. These things have safeguards, [35:30] like avoiding partisan politics and protecting First Amendment activities. And I think that we can put those [35:38] guardrails in place. But of course, the humans who occupy those positions are also very important. [35:46] And so selecting people for those positions who are looking to the best interests of the United [35:52] States and not themselves is also a very important part of the fix. And so that's where our own roles [35:58] come into play, Lawrence. We all have to take a role in who we elect, who we campaign for, [36:03] and working together to make sure we put in office people who understand that they're there to [36:08] serve the people and not themselves. Barbara, I cannot imagine what it was like to be writing this [36:13] book because normally you sit down to write a book and you get it outlined and you're ready to go [36:19] and the world stays in place while you're typing. But it had to be every other day that you were [36:27] writing this. There was something new to fit in here as an example. And then, you know, as soon as your [36:34] book is coming out, we have the slush fund. Yes, you know, it's almost like you're writing with a race [36:41] against time. And President Trump almost every day brings a new windfall of examples to illustrate [36:48] what we're talking about. But the parallels, just as we heard from Senator Ossoff, between the Trump [36:53] administration and corrupt political regimes, corrupt public officials, organized crime enterprises are so [37:00] stark. And they were from the beginning of Trump's second administration, the way he shook down law [37:07] firms, the media, universities and even allies by forcing them to pay tariffs. All of those things [37:13] reminded me of the kind of tactics that I saw when I was working as a federal prosecutor. And now that [37:19] those tactics are being exposed, I think the public is beginning to catch on to some of these tactics. [37:24] And one hopes that with some of the tactics we talk about in The Fix, we can remedy what ails our [37:30] country and take back our government for the people. What do you make of The New York Times point that a [37:35] lot of these valuable federal government lawyers have moved to the states and to state attorneys general [37:44] offices? It doesn't surprise me. I see it in my own students, students who in the past would apply for [37:51] the very competitive Department of Justice honors program because it was a place where top lawyers [37:56] wanted to work to serve their country. If they are seeing the Justice Department weaponized and being [38:02] used in a way that lacks integrity, an obvious place for them to go is the state counterparts. [38:08] And in those state attorney general offices, what we are seeing is an effort not only to serve the [38:13] people, but to even push back against some of the misconduct that we're seeing currently at the [38:19] Department of Justice. So, I think it's no surprise that people who want to serve their country as [38:23] lawyers are now seeking out opportunities in the states. Barbara McQuade, thank you very much for [38:29] joining us tonight. The new book out tomorrow available everywhere is called The Fix, Saving America [38:36] from the Corruption of a Mob-Style Government. Barbara McQuade gets tonight's last word.