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The Illegal News with Sarah Longwell

S2 Ep139: Andrew Weissmann: Epstein Release Looks Like a DOJ Cover-Up

The Illegal News with Sarah Longwell

The Bulwark

News, Politics, Society & Culture

4.82.8K Ratings

🗓️ 2 January 2026

⏱️ 56 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Sarah is off this week so Andrew Weissmann joins Sam Stein to explain why the Epstein files rollout has become a legal and political disaster—from blown deadlines and redactions to the DOJ’s credibility crisis. They also discuss Supreme Court’s spotty pushback against the administration, Trump’s use of military power, and growing risks to democratic norms.

Our listeners get the Harry’s Plus Trial Set for only $10 at https://www.Harrys.com/ASKGEORGE #Harryspod #sponsored 

Transcript

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0:00.0

If there's nothing there, you'd be like, I want every single document and every single image involving me to be put out as soon as possible.

0:09.0

And none of that's happened.

0:10.1

There's only one logical thing you can think, which is that they're hiding something.

0:19.0

Welcome to illegal news or the illegal news. We're going to be debating that one, I think,

0:23.2

internally about whether to drop the the formerly known as George Conway explains it all.

0:27.8

George is doing something insane. He's running for Congress and won't be here for the foreseeable

0:32.8

future. So we renamed the show. With a new name, we still have the same great breakdown of legal news that you've come to expect. Sarah will keep asking the questions about law and getting digestible answers from legal experts. But she's not here. She is taking some well-deserved time off. So you get me a sad alternative, not as good, but hopefully serviceable.

0:56.8

I'm Sam Stein, managing editor of the bulwark.

0:59.9

And joining me today, I'm really, I can't believe we got them.

1:00.7

Andrew Weissman.

1:02.2

Great to be here.

1:08.5

I didn't realize that the reason that we're both here is because George is running for Congress in the district where I grew up for and spent many,

1:14.0

many, many years, which, by the way, it's a cast of thousands. It is like everyone's got their hat

1:20.0

in the ring. It's, it's, it's, but it'll be fascinating. Well, I suppose I now have to ask,

1:25.0

uh, is a bid for, is a bid for the seat in your future?

1:28.8

I'll tell you what somebody told me. They said, you know, there's a big downside.

1:34.1

You could win.

1:37.7

Well, we're not going to take sides because we actually have two X bullwork podcasters

1:42.8

running for this seat. So we can't play favorites,

1:45.2

but I will just say objectively, it will be rather interesting to see George should he win

1:50.5

in Congress. I wonder what he would do with that perch. Let's start out because we're recording

1:55.7

this on December 31st, and every podcast that records at the end of year does have to have some sort of reflective

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