Mea Culpa

Former columnist Tony Schwartz discusses Trump's legal challenges and personality. Topics include witness intimidation, Trump's media company repercussions, re-election chances, authoritarian power dynamics, legacy trauma on Trump's children, selection of loyalists, female VP candidates, shifting voter trends, and urging diverse voter support against authoritarianism.

Our guest today is former Assistant U.S. Attorney, Glenn Kirschner - he’s an NBC News and MSNBC legal analyst and the host of the popular podcast, Justice Matters. Drawing from his 30 years as a federal prosecutor, homicide prosecutor, and Army JAG, Kirschner is with us to help us make sense of Trump’s legal trials and errors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we welcome for the first time, Jennifer Welch and Angie “Pumps”Sullivan, the creators and stars of the popular podcast “I’ve Had It”. They first took the world by storm with their Bravo series “Sweet Home Oklahoma” — where they exported their idyllic hometown for all it was worth. Their brand is “no feelings spared” as they approach the burning issues of the moment. Or at least the issues that burn them the most. Don’t ask them to bring a casserole to your event or to celebrate international snow cone day with you, because they’ve HAD IT. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we welcome back to the show, journalist and author, Dave Marcus. Soon after graduating from Brown, Marcus wrote an article for Vanity Fair. It was a look at the final months of his nefarious cousin Roy Cohn. The same Roy Cohn who was Donald Trump’s mentor and fixer. Since then, Dave has been warning Americans about the ways Cohn taught Trump to lie, steal, and misuse the judicial system. Marcus has written several books and shared the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting, for a series about violence against women. Today, we will talk to Dave about how Trump is now mimicking Cohn’s lawless approach to the law in courtrooms across the country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest this week is my good friend, Joe Walsh. Joe is a podcaster, radio host, columnist, and Republican elected to the House of Representatives in 2011 from Illinois’s 8th District. He also ran for president and then blew up his life when he spoke out against the MAGA cult and gave Trump the two-finger salute. Be sure to check out Joe’s popular political podcast, “White Flag” with Joe Walsh wherever you get your podcast. Today Walsh is here to talk with us about the current state of the GOP and how we plan to save democracy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today I welcome my friend Donny Deutsch, he’s a branding and marketing specialist and popular television personality on all the major networks. But look for him daily on “Morning Joe” on MSNBC. Deutsch is the former Chairman of the advertising firm Deutsch Inc. He has penned two business motivation books, “Often Wrong, Never in Doubt” and “THE BIG IDEA: How to Make Your Entrepreneurial Dreams Come True." Today we will be getting Donny’s take on MAGA politics and what’s left of the Trump brand.Save TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT for a limited time at www.tommyjohn.com/cohen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we welcome for the first time, Dan Alexander. Alexander is a senior editor at Forbes where he leads the magazine's coverage of Donald Trump. Twice a year Alexander is responsible for putting together Forbes estimate of Donald Trump's net worth. And we all know that’s a tough job. Alexander is also the author of  White House, Inc.: How Donald Trump Turned the Presidency into a Business. He’s here to talk about Trump’s shifting finances and so much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My special guest today is my good friend, Lev Parnas. Lev is a Soviet-born businessman who along with Rudy Giuliani and Igor Fruman played a central role in the campaign to pressure Ukraine to investigate Trump’s political rivals…including the Biden’s. Parnas then worked with federal prosecutors to bring down both Giuliani and Trump. And ended up serving a 20-month sentence for crimes related. Lev’s written several books, including TRUMP FIRST: How the President and His Associates Turned Their Backs on Me and My Family” and his newest book, “Shadow Diplomacy” about how the world works for mob bosses like Trump. You might have seen Lev last week testifying brilliantly before the House Oversight Committee. He’s here to talk with us about that and more.Thanks to Tommy John! Save 25% SITEWIDE at https://TommyJohn.com/COHENThanks to Smileactives! Visit https://smileactives.com/cohen to get this exclusive offer!Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PoliticalBeatdownAdd the NEW Mea Culpa podcast feed: https://linktr.ee/meaculpapodSupport Michael’s Legal Fund: http://donald4prison.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We welcome to the show for the first-time, journalist and political commentator, John Avlon. Avlon is a senior political analyst and anchor at CNN and was the editor-in-chief and managing director of The Daily Beast from 2013 to 2018. Avlon is also a Democrat running for a House Seat in New York’s 1st Congressional District, and he’s here to talk about the issues surrounding the 2024 election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we welcome back to our show, Bakari Sellers, a CNN political commentator who made history as the youngest-ever member of the South Carolina State Legislature at just 22. Sellers has been named one of the nation's most influential African Americans and became a New York Times best-selling author with his memoir, “My Vanishing Country”. Sellers is known for his sharp political and social analysis informed by his first-hand experience both inside the Democratic Party and as a practicing lawyer and lobbyist. You can listen to Sellers weekly on his excellent podcast “The Ringer”. And watch out for his new book coming out in April, the Moment…Let’s go now to my conversation with Bakari Sellers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices