Okay, I would just like to state for the record that I resent you saying I'm the Susie Wiles of this podcast.

Hello, everyone. Welcome to the next level. I'm JVL here with my best friends. Sarah Longwell and Tim Miller of the bulwark.

And guys, Festivus came early this year because on Tuesday Vanity Fair gave us the

airing of the grievances with a long, long two-part, two-year-long interview.

Now, I guess more like an 18-month interview, ongoing interview with

Susie Wiles. The interviewer is Chris Whipple of Vanity Fair, which is the whitest name I've

ever heard. And it is holy mother forking shirtballs.

I don't know where we want to go with this first.

This is going to be a special seven hour next level because there's a lot to talk about here.

Sarah, would you like to take a swing at the pinata first?

So I don't even know where to start.

There is a lot to do.

I actually want to open with, though,

with a question for all of us,

but maybe Tim has some thoughts on it

that I've been trying to figure out,

which is, why did Susie Wiles do this interview?

Because this is, if it's not career ending for her, it is sort of the, then it is a like,

this is one of history's greatest monsters kind of interview.

And so what makes, what makes them decide in a, like for an administration that is uniquely

hostile to the press, why sit for the glamor shot, vanity fair? Like what is the,

before you answer this, please understand that it can't, the answer can't have an ego

...