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The Oath and The Office

MAGA Is Blaming the Judges (with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse)

The Oath and The Office

Corey Brettschneider

Government, News, Politics

4.9 • 591 Ratings

🗓️ 4 December 2025

⏱️ 73 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse joins us for one of our most important conversations yet. We examine MAGA’s escalating effort to blame and target judges who uphold the rule of law — from GOP attacks on Judge Boasberg to the broader push to weaponize impeachment. Senator Whitehouse lays out what Congress can still do now, and the reforms needed to protect democracy in the long term.
But first: John and Corey break down Trump’s shocking pardon of the convicted former Honduran president — and the disturbing reports of potentially unlawful military orders in the Caribbean.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Welcome to another episode of the Oath and the Office podcast starring Professor Corey Brechtner.

0:17.4

I am John Fuglesung. It's great to have you with us. We are celebrating 70 years of Rosa Parks,

0:23.5

a seamstress and an activist refusing to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama,

0:29.1

and reshaping the entire civil rights movement because she wasn't a tired lady. She was a trained

0:35.1

activist who knew she was going to shake the world. And it is my honor to welcome the star of our show. Professor Corey Brechtnyder, you know and love his work in the Polyside apartment at Brown. Maybe you've caught his stuff in the New York Times, MSNBC, Time Magazine. You should own the book, The Oath in the Office, a guide to the Constitution for future presidents, Professor Brechtnter. It's very good to see you, sir.

0:56.0

Thanks, John. We have, you know, each week delivers a series of topics just teed up for us to talk

1:01.7

about a president who's supposed to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution, and he

1:06.4

and, of course, his cabinet are doing anything but. So we'll talk about his abuse of the pardon power.

1:11.8

We'll talk about the war crimes that were likely committed by the Secretary of Defense and the

1:16.8

way that he's trying to avoid responsibility. And of course, we'll have an amazing guest on today's

1:21.8

show. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse from Rhode Island, who is really helping to lead the fight

1:27.2

against Trump,

1:28.4

against his cronies attempt to impeach Judge Bosberg and others who are simply doing their duty

1:34.1

and who's fighting the fight to take dark money out of politics and think about our more

1:39.6

long-term recovery. So this is going to be an amazing episode. What a pleasure to do this show

1:45.1

with you every week. I'm so excited. Sheldon White House has joined me on Sirius XM before. That guy is

1:50.8

the real deal, and I'm thrilled that he's going to be here with us. I've got to say, though,

1:54.8

I'm just as excited to discuss Donald Trump's foreign policy doctrine with you today, Professor,

2:00.3

because I think I figured out what the Trump administration's foreign policy doctrine with you today, Professor, because I think I figured out

2:02.0

what the Trump administration's foreign policy doctrine is. It's murder the poor, pardon the rich,

2:08.2

and blame Joe Biden for both. Now, I want to set this upright. We know now that defense

2:14.5

secretary and secretary of Yeagermeister Pete Hagseth, the only man who thinks

...

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