S2 Ep168: Senators Never Asked Blanche the Most Obvious Epstein Question
The Illegal News with Sarah Longwell
The Bulwark
4.9 • 3.4K Ratings
🗓️ 18 July 2026
⏱️ 60 minutes
🔗️ Recording | Apple Podcasts | RSS
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Sarah Longwell and Andrew Weissmann discuss on a week that tested both of them: Todd Blanche's confirmation hearing, and Trump's prime-time speech on election interference. Andrew walks through the cross-examination Senate Democrats didn't run—the statements that went unchallenged, the follow-ups nobody asked, and the one question about the withheld Epstein files that Blanche has still never answered. Then: why he thinks dismantling the government's election-security apparatus isn't neglect, but the point.
Also discussed: the $1.776 billion payout, the document absolving Trump of tax liability, what Blanche told the Epstein victims that simply isn't true, and why Andrew keeps calling BS.
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Andrew Weissmann's new book is out now: https://www.amazon.com/Liars-Kingdom-Trumps-Deceit-America/dp/0316601306
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | So the theme for this episode is going to be I call bullshit. |
| 0:08.6 | Hello, everyone, and welcome to the illegal news. |
| 0:11.7 | I'm Sarah Longwell, publisher of the bulwark. |
| 0:14.1 | It's Friday, July 17th, and I am joined by my best buddy, Andrew Weissman, who is here, Andrew. |
| 0:19.3 | It's great to see you. |
| 0:23.3 | Andrew, author of Liar's Kingdom, |
| 0:29.8 | attorney extraordinaire, main justice podcaster. You guys know him. He's here. Andrew, I have to notice, |
| 0:36.3 | you commented on my appearance as we came in here kindly. And I'm going to comment on yours. Your hair seems a little high today. And I wonder if it's because during the Blanche hearing, you had your hands in it. I was on Alex Wagner's podcast the other day. And my hair got bigger and bigger as it went on because I got more and more agitated. And I was getting both sweaty and putting my hands in my hair. Is that, is that a blanche hearing pompadour you've got going on? I think if it were, if it was a result of the blanche hearing, I'd be bald. |
| 0:58.4 | Bald. |
| 0:59.0 | I would have pulled it all out. Although, you know, I did have to watch the whole thing live, |
| 1:05.7 | which the last time I had that experience, it was watching. |
| 1:12.7 | This is good. |
| 1:13.6 | I'm going to start with an act. I... |
| 1:14.6 | So unlike you. |
| 1:16.3 | It's so unlike me. |
| 1:17.9 | I, as you know, do work for MS now. |
| 1:21.9 | And during the very famous, infamous debate, which Donald Trump insisted should happen even before the |
| 1:32.3 | sort of party nominations. So he debated the sitting president, Joe Biden, and it was in June. |
| 1:39.9 | And I was not planning on watching that. And I was planning on, I was, let's just say I was not planning on watching that. |
| 1:44.6 | And I was planning on, let's just say, |
| 1:48.2 | I was planning on having a liquid diet. |
| 1:50.7 | Sure. |
... |
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