Barbara McQuade and Daniel Richman on Trump’s Politicization of the DOJ
The Al Franken Podcast
The Al Franken Podcast
4.6 • 7.7K Ratings
🗓️ 24 August 2025
⏱️ 57 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
We're joined by two veterans of the DOJ: Barbara McQuade, professor at University of Michigan Law School, and Daniel Richman, professor at Columbia Law School. We discuss the disturbing tendencies of Trump's Justice Department: from emphasizing immigration enforcement, to investigating Trump’s political rivals, to firing agents en masse for prosecuting the Jan 6th cases, and so on. The damage being done will take years, if not decades, to undo.
Plus, the Epstein Files continue to impact Trump’s presidency. Why is Ghislane Maxwell being treated so well? It’s almost as if Trump hopes she’ll exonerate him in exchange for a sweetheart deal.
READ Barbara's book “Attack from Within: How Disinformation Is Sabotaging America”: https://www.sevenstories.com/books/4577-attack-from-within
READ Daniel’s recent opinion piece in NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/29/opinion/trump-is-discovering-the-downside-of-a-justice-department-with-no-credibility.html
Get 20% off your first order of low carb, keto-friendly bread from our newest sponsor, Royo! Use promo code FRANKEN at www.eatroyo.com
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Building a coffee business? |
| 0:02.0 | Serving the best Americano in town is up to you. |
| 0:04.0 | But winning back time and growing your business, leave that to sum up. |
| 0:07.0 | Take orders and payments anywhere with the new SumUp terminal. |
| 0:10.0 | Turn occasional customers into regulars with a free loyalty program. |
| 0:13.0 | And with the SumUp point of sale system, you'll always know when you're running low on your best-selling blends. |
| 0:18.0 | Visit sumup.co.uk to learn more. |
| 0:20.0 | Hi guys! Here's my morning routine. First, I drink olive oil, like a lot of it. |
| 0:26.5 | Yep, that's good. Then, I stare at a red light. It's the kind that helps yourselves positively glow. |
| 0:34.4 | Oh, wow, wow, really bright, okay. Next, I take an ice bath. That's how you melt your fat and fix |
| 0:40.7 | your, I don't know, other stuff. Ooh, yep, feeling super healthy. Can't fit my toes. Breakfast is raw liver. |
| 0:51.3 | Okay, here we go. Real good. |
| 0:55.5 | If your health advice sounds strange coming from a kid, maybe it's just strange. |
| 1:00.5 | Signos pairs AI with a biosensor so you can track your body's unique responses to food, movement, and more in real time, |
| 1:07.3 | helping you achieve your health goals. |
| 1:09.2 | No fads, no fear, just your signal. |
| 1:12.2 | Get $10 off select plans at signos.com. |
| 1:15.2 | That's sig-n-os.com with code Spark. |
| 1:19.3 | Signos. |
| 1:25.1 | Hey, everybody. |
| 1:26.2 | We've got a great one for you today. You know, for a change, the great Barbara McQuaid joins us. |
| 1:32.8 | You know her as the former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan and now a law professor of the University of Michigan. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Al Franken Podcast, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The Al Franken Podcast and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.

