Andrew Weissmann: Is Trump Going To Raid Fort Knox Next?

In this incisive episode of The Bulwark Podcast, host Tim Miller welcomes back legal expert Andrew Weissmann to dissect a cascade of political and institutional corruption under the Trump administration. The conversation opens with a scathing critique of Trump’s proposed $1.7 billion settlement with the IRS, which Weissmann argues amounts to legalized theft—where a former president would use taxpayer money to reward political allies, including pardoned January 6th rioters like Andrew Paul Johnson, who was convicted of child sexual abuse. Weissmann underscores the absurdity of the situation, comparing it to a president raiding Fort Knox, and highlights the legal vacuum that allows such schemes to unfold without accountability. The discussion then pivots to the gutting of the Voting Rights Act by the Supreme Court, with Weissmann expressing deep concern over the Court’s refusal to recognize intentional racial discrimination in gerrymandering, particularly in Tennessee and Louisiana. He also critiques the FBI’s leadership under Cash Patel, noting a pattern of personal indulgence and lack of accountability that undermines the agency’s integrity. The episode closes with a deep dive into Weissmann’s new book, Liar’s Kingdom, which calls for criminal and civil sanctions against politicians who lie, arguing that false speech is not protected under free speech doctrine when it constitutes fraud or intentional deception. Weissmann advocates for state-level reforms, including mandatory truth certifications and criminal penalties for material lies, to counter the erosion of truth in American democracy.