S6 Ep12: Epstein Files & Illegal Orders (w/ Will Sommer and Sen. Elissa Slotkin)
The Focus Group Podcast
The Bulwark
4.8 • 2.6K Ratings
🗓️ 22 November 2025
⏱️ 50 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
NOTE: This episode discusses Sen. Slotkin and her colleagues’ message to the military and intelligence community that President Trump called “seditious behavior, punishable by death.” This conversation was taped before that Trump post.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello everyone and welcome to the Focus Group podcast. |
| 0:09.1 | I'm Sarah Longwell, publisher of the bulwark. |
| 0:12.2 | And this week we're doing a bit of a two-parter based on some recent news events. |
| 0:16.2 | First, I want to talk about this week's vote to release the Epstein files because I think we've got some |
| 0:22.2 | focus group audio that pretty well demonstrates why Trump went from lashing out at Thomas Massey |
| 0:27.1 | and Marjorie Taylor Green to finally going along with releasing. We'll see the Epstein files. |
| 0:33.5 | That happened because some Republicans are getting mildly, and I stress mildly, annoyed about his lack of transparency. |
| 0:40.4 | Then in a little bit, we're going to turn to the Democrats, including listening to some voters who are, wait for it, this is going to shock you. |
| 0:47.6 | Matt is hell and not going to take it anymore. |
| 0:50.1 | We are also going to hear from Senator Alyssa Slotkin about the way this government |
| 0:54.6 | shutdown ended and what she's focusing on lately and what she's learned on the campaign |
| 0:58.8 | trail winning a lot of tough races. She's one of the few Congress people who has been able |
| 1:04.5 | to win in a Trump district. But first, I want to turn to the Epstein of it all and I have |
| 1:10.1 | got the bulwarks great. Will's |
| 1:12.4 | summer, author of the very excellent false flag newsletter. Will, thanks for hopping on. |
| 1:18.1 | Hey, I'm happy to be here. So Will and I were just in Vegas together for Indy Fest, and we went and saw |
| 1:25.3 | the Wizard of Oz at the sphere, which I cannot recommend highly enough. |
| 1:30.0 | I thought it was going to be goofy, but it actually was very awesome. |
| 1:33.1 | But afterwards, Will drops this bomb on me and Sunny and says, oh, that was the first time I ever saw the Wizard of Oz. |
| 1:41.3 | Can you imagine? |
| 1:43.6 | How is that possible? |
| 1:45.3 | You know, I wasn't sure if I had or not. |
... |
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