Reup: Zephyr Teachout vs. Corruption

The Gray Area with Sean Illing

Vox Media Podcast Network

Politics, News, News Commentary, Philosophy, Society & Culture

4.5 • 11.1K Ratings

🗓️ 24 August 2018

⏱️ 91 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Zephyr Teachout is a law professor at Fordham University and one of the nation’s foremost experts on political corruption. She’s also, after a glowing New York Times endorsement this week, arguably the frontrunner in the race to replace Eric Schneiderman as New York’s attorney general. The Democratic primary, which will likely decide the race, is on September 13. The NY AG position is unusually important right now. President Trump’s businesses are in New York, his family works in New York, his associates worked in New York. When special counsel Robert Mueller referred Michael Cohen for prosecution, it was to New York prosecutors. And for all the talk of Trump’s pardon power, he can pardon against federal prosecution, not state prosecution. All that means that the New York attorney general is uniquely situated to investigate, and prosecute, the corruption swirling around Trumpworld. I had Teachout on this podcast in June 2017. We talked about how political corruption was defined by the Founding Fathers, and why, during the Constitutional Convention, they discussed the threat posed by corruption more than they discussed the threat posed by foreign invasion. And we talked about the way today’s Supreme Court — in the Citizens United and related decisions — has narrowed the definition to be almost meaningless. We also discussed an emoluments lawsuit Teachout was involved in against Trump, as well as the power of corporate monopolies in American life. It was a great conversation then, and it’s all the more relevant now. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:28.1	Express. Don't live life without it.
0:41.6	Hello, welcome to the blind show on the box media podcast network. A few months ago
0:45.7	Eric Schneiderman, the attorney general of New York, resigned after reports of a
0:49.1	chilling history of sexual violence towards women that opened a race to replace
0:52.7	him and Zephyr Teachout, a Fordham Law professor who had previously run for
0:55.8	the governor of New York through a hat in the ring. Teachouts candidacy has gained
0:59.7	a lot of momentum recently. The New York Times endorsed her saying that she was
1:02.8	unusually well prepared to curb abusive power and restore integrity and pride to
1:06.5	the office. Now, New York attorney general doesn't sound like the kind of race
1:11.0	we usually cover here, but it's different right now. And the reason is that Donald
1:15.7	Trump's businesses are in New York. His family works in New York. His associates
1:19.2	worked in New York. When Bob Mueller referred Michael Cohen for prosecution, it was to New
1:23.3	York prosecutors. And for all the talk of Trump's pardon power, he can pardon against federal
1:27.9	prosecution, not state prosecution. So the attorney general of New York is one of the
1:32.2	only people actually able to make sure that Donald Trump and the things people in this
1:36.1	orbit have done are actually subject to the rule of law. And Teachout is a fascinating
	...

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