Mea Culpa with Michael Cohen

Mea Culpa welcomes the former Oath Keeper who testified before the January 6th Committee, Jason Van Tatenhove. A one-time tattoo shop owner, Van Tatenhove studied fine art in college and as a journalist, in 2014, he embedded with the Oath Keepers while following the story of Cliven Bundy and the rancher's standoff with law enforcement.  Later, Jason went on to become the Oath Keepers National Media Director. But after being silenced by the Oath Keepers leader, Stewart Rhodes, for his support of same-sex marriage, Van Tatenhove distanced himself from the group. He did not attend or support the January 6th Insurrection, but he did the country a great service when he testified to the committee. Helping us all understand more about the inner-workings of extremist para-military groups like the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys. Michael and Jason talk about what Jason believes is coming for democracy and what it's like to work for egomaniacs.

Mea Culpa welcomes back David Corn, the veteran Washington journalist, Bureau Chief Mother of Jones, and an on-air analyst for MSNBC. Corn co-authored with Michael Isikoff “Russian Roulette, The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump. He's also the author of 3 New York Times best-selling books as was the long time Washington editor of “The Nation”. David has written for numerous magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Harper's, and The Atlantic. He regularly appears on Face the Nation and PBS's Newshour and often provides commentary on National Public Radio. Michael and David talk about everything from the raid on Mara Largo to Trump's legal woes to the upcoming midterms.

Mea Culpa welcomes back Ali Velshi. Host of “Velshi” and seemingly the favorite fill-in host of every other MSNBC Prime Time News Show. Velshi also reported live from the frontlines of the George Floyd protests and most recently he dodged incoming fire from Russian artillery when he fearlessly reported live from the frontlines in Ukraine. A concerned citizen of the world, Velshi seems to be everywhere there is an injustice. Velshi has been a contributor at CNN, Al Jazeera America, NBC to name a few. Velshi is a prolific writer, has written books, articles, and columns for newspapers and monthly publications throughout the northern hemisphere. Michael and Ali talk about everything from the raid on Mar-a-Lardo to Liz Cheney to Ukraine.

Mea Culpa welcomes the prolific, Jill Wine-Banks to the show. Jill is currently an MSNBC Legal Analyst, appearing regularly on primetime and daytime shows. Jill is a sought-after professional speaker, and has written numerous OpEds for NBC.com, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, Politico, and the Huffington Post to name a few. Wine-Banks was at one time a prosecutor at the U.S. Department of Justice in DC, specializing in Organized Crime. She was also one of only three Assistant Watergate Special Prosecutors and later wrote a book about it, “Watergate Girl …My Fight for Truth and Justice Against a Criminal President”. Michael and Jill dig deep into the January 6th Hearing and GOP.

Mea Culpa welcomes Victor Shi, the youngest elected Delegate for Joe Biden in 2020, he is a former White House Intern and the co-host of the iGen Politics Podcast with the distinguished Jill Wine-Banks. Shi is also a writer, speaker, organizer, activist, and a junior at UCLA, where he is majoring in American Literature and Culture. Shi is currently a communications intern at Precision Strategies and his on-air commentary and interviews have been seen on MSNBC, CNN, NBC, PBS Newshour, ABC, the Daily Herald, and the Chicago Tribune. His op-eds have been published in Newsweek, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, CNN, USA Today, The Hill, and International Business Times. Michael and Victor talk about the current state of politics and what needs to be done to get the attention of young voters.

Mea Culpa welcomes back Glenn Kirschner, a former federal prosecutor with 30 years of trial experience. Glenn brings analysis and insight to legal issues of the day, drawing from his experience as a federal prosecutor, homicide prosecutor, and Army JAG. Glenn is an NBC News and MSNBC legal analyst and teaches criminal law at GWU. Glenn also hosts Capitol Crimes with Glenn Kirschner and Justice Matters on YouTube. Michael and Glenn dig deep into conservative politics, the DOJ, and January 6th.

Mea Culpa welcomes back our good friend Harry Litman. Harry was a former US Attorney and Deputy Assistant Attorney General and is currently the legal affairs columnist for the Los Angeles Times Opinion Page and professor of Constitutional Law at UCLA and UCSD. He can be seen as a legal and political commentator on CBS, NPR MSNBC, and CNN. Litman is also the creator and host of the Talking Feds Podcast, a must-listen for its sharp analysis of the corruption, crimes, and moral failures of the Trump era and beyond. Michael and Harry dig deep into the legalities of January 6th.

Mea Culpa welcomes Dash Dobrofsky a Gen Z political activist, creator and host of the daily podcast, “Uncovering the Truth” which seeks to “abolish corruption injustice, and evil". Dobrofsky is currently a political science major at UCLA and is also featured on the Miedas Touch. His numerous videos can be found on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. Also, check out his super active Twitter feed which features over 73,000 followers. Michael and Dash discuss the future of American politics and the youth vote.

Mea Culpa welcomes Joe Walsh, a conservative republican and former Congressman who once ran for president and then blew up his life when he spoke out against the MAGA cult. Joe and I spend the next hour debating our differences, and how democrats need to learn to fight if we are going to hold onto the democracy and get America back on track.

Mea Culpa welcomes independent journalist and the creator of “Popular Information”.  Popular Information is Substack's first politically-focused publication. And features in-depth, fact-based, news and analysis from a progressive point of view. Legum, a lawyer, also founded the publication “ThinkProgressive” before leaving to work on Hillary Clinton's campaign. Judd shares with Michael his vast knowledge of the current moment and what part media plays in it all. 

Mea Culpa welcomes back Malcolm Nance, career US Navy terrorism intelligence collector, code breaker, and interrogator with wide-ranging field and combat experience and is a counterterrorism analyst for MSNBC. Nance recently released his newest book, “They Want to Kill American's: The Militias, Terrorists, and Deranged Ideology of the Trump Insurgency”. Nance uncovers facts about the insurgency— and writes about stuff that happened way before the insurrectionists attacked the Capitol on the 6th. Michael and Malcolm dig deep into January 6th and what it all means for democracy.

Mea Culpa welcome's back Joe Trippy. Trippi pioneered bringing politics into the digital age and brings an added digital component to the Lincoln Project arsenal. Trippi has worked for Democrats at every level over 4 decades – from Ted Kennedy, Walter Mondale and managing Howard Dean's groundbreaking presidential campaign in 2004. Trippi has been a media and campaign strategist for dozens of Senate and Gubernatorial campaigns including Jerry Brown's 2010 comeback campaign for Governor of California and Doug Jones' historic Senate victory in Alabama, where Jones became the first Democratic US Senator in Alabama in 25 years. His weekly podcast is “That Trippi Show”. Michael and Joe dive deep into the upcoming midterms and what the democrats need to do to win. 

Mea Culpa welcomes back Rick Wilson, longtime Republican political strategist and commentator. Since 2015, he's been a leading conservative critic of Donald Trump. Rick got his start in the 1988 Presidential campaign of George Herbert Walker Bush, and since has produced groundbreaking advertising and provided strategic counsel to political campaigns across the nation and around the world. Rick is also a best-selling author, his latest book is “Running against the Devil” and his #1 New York Times, best seller, “Everything Trump Touches Dies” that quintessentially defined the Trump era. Michael and Rick dive deep into the upcoming midterms and January 6th.

Mea Culpa welcomes back our resident expert on the January 6th hearings, Norm Eisen. Eisen, is an attorney and author who has served in a broad array of government roles, including special counsel and special assistant to President Barack Obama for ethics and government reform — in that role Eisen was dubbed “Mr. No” and the “Ethics Czar” — well known for his tough anti-corruption approach to governance. As co-counsel on the House Judiciary Committee's first Trump impeachment — Eisen is active with the Brookings Institute and other groups working to expose the ways Trump and his cronies broke the law not only on January 6th but in their attempts to overturn the election as well. Michael and Norm dig deep into January 6th and the possible prosecutions coming.

In light of this week's mass shooting in Highland Park, Il we present a special episode of Mea Culpa with David Hogg, who was thrust into the world of activism by the largest school shooting in American history.

Michael explains Trump's mob-boss, witness intimidation playbook for pressuring people to not testify against him. Followed by an encore broadcast of Soledad O'Brien's January 6th, 2021 Mea Culpa interview. 

Mea Culpa welcomes back Asha Rangappa, Assistant Dean and Senior Lecturer at Yale University's Jackson School of Global Affairs and a former Associate Dean at Yale Law School. Prior to her current position, Asha served as a Special Agent in the New York Division of the FBI, specializing in counterintelligence investigations. Asha has published op-eds in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post among others, and has been a legal and national security analyst for CNN, as well as appearing on NPR, BBC, and several other major television networks. In this episode Michael and Asha delve deep into the J6 hearings and the Supreme Court. 

Mea Culpa welcomes back Scott Dworkin, Co-Founder and Lead Investigator of the Democratic Coalition and creator and host of The Dworkin Report. Dworkin is a proud member of #TheResistance and his original Dworkin Report helped uncover the Trump-Russia affair with the Democratic Coalition and explained it to a national audience on MSNBC well before Special Counsel Mueller's probe even began. Dworkin served as a Deputy Director for both the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Committee and 2012 Democratic National Convention. Scott was also a Senior Advisor on both the Draft Biden and Run Warren Run campaigns. Michael and Scott dig deep into the Supreme Court, January 6th and Clarence Thomas.

We welcome back to Mea Cupla Reed Galen, co-founder of The Lincoln Project and an independent political strategist. A veteran public affairs and political analyst with more than 20 years of experience. Michael and Reed dig into the January 6th hearings, gun control, and the upcoming midterms.

Our guest today on Mea Culpa is the groundbreaking, congressional reporter for the Guardian, Hugo Lowell. Lowell has broken a number of high-profile stories about the January 6th committee's investigation. Join Michael and Hugo for an in-depth conversation about the January 6th hearings.

Mea Culpa welcomes back the Meiselas Brothers, Ben, Brett, and Jordan the creators of MeidasTouch.the pro-democracy, next-generation super PAC. Michael and the brothers discuss everything from choice, January 6th, to the upcoming midterms.

Mea Culpa welcomes progressive commentator, Brian Tyler Cohen, the host, and creator of the popular podcast, “No Lie” which he covers breaking political stories and sits down with major players in the world of politics. Michael and Brian take a deep dive into, gun control, January 6th hearings, and the upcoming midterms.

Mea Culp welcomes back Harry Litman. Harry is a former US Attorney, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, legal affairs columnist for the Los Angeles Times Opinion Page, and professor of Constitutional Law at UCLA and UCSD. Join us as Harry and Michael dive into the January 6th hearings and talk strategy for the mid-terms

Today we welcome back to Mea Culpa the one and only Norm Eisen. Norm is an attorney and author who has served in many government roles, including special counsel and special assistant to President Barack Obama for ethics and government reform — in that role Eisen was dubbed “Mr. No” and the “Ethics Czar”. Join us on Mea Culpa as Michael gets the scoop on the January 6th committee's planned actions and intents from Norm Eisen.

Meal Culpa welcomes to the show Michael's old friend and former lawyer, Danya Perry. Danya is a founding partner at Perry Guha LLP. She is a nationally recognized white-collar criminal defense attorney and commercial litigator. Danya is equally gifted at litigating high-profile matters in court and in the press as she is at navigating backchannels to obtain quiet victories for her clients. Danya has represented corporations and individuals from every walk of life. And her criminal defense practice includes representing clients in cases involving everything from fraud to sexual assault of both men and women. Prior to founding Perry Guha with Samidh Guha in 2019, Danya spent five years as the Chief of Litigation and Deputy General Counsel at MacAndrews & Forbes Incorporated. From 2002 to 2013, Danya served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Today she is a regular media commentator, on MSNBC, CNN, and BBC. She's also written a number of op-eds ...

Mea Culpa welcomes back best-selling author, CNN Senior Legal Analyst, and former federal and state prosecutor Elie Honig. Michael and Elie discuss gun control, the upcoming January 6th trials, and how Bill Barr broke the prosecutor's code and corrupted the Justice Department. 

In this week's Mea Culpa we gain perspective from Gen Z Activist Digital Strategist and budding political commentator Jack Cocchiarella. We discuss everything from white supremacy and gun control to voter engagement. Plus Jack shares his hopeful look toward the future, something we could all use these days. 

Mea Culpa discusses today's greatest threats against democracy, disinformation campaigns, and domestic extremism with Kris Goldsmith an Iraq combat veteran. Kris also chats with Michael about his approach to fighting America's homegrown fascist organizations and protecting our democracy.

A hellish weekend of mass shootings has rocked America to its core, motivated by racial hatred and a conspiracy theory that's becoming mainstream thanks in part to Tucker Carlson, Trumpism and the new radical right. “The Great Replacement Theory” is burning up the inner- webs and fomenting a movement, rooted in White Supremacy and anti-semitism, that pits us against them. Join us as we discuss this dangerous movement and much more with Washington journalist and Mother Jones Bureau Chief, David Corn.

Join us for an important and terrifying episode that looks into why so many Americans have fallen into the cult of disinformation, and how we can pull them out with Diane Benscoter, a speaker, author, and cult de-programer who spent five years deep inside the “Moonie” religious cult before finding her way back.

As the GOP hardens its position on Roe v. Wade we are beginning to see the future of what Alito's draconian decision holds. In Missouri, like in Texas, if you get an abortion in another state, you could still be arrested. In Mississippi, they want to charge mothers with murder for terminating a pregnancy. If it all sounds insane, it is. Walt Masterson joins Mea Culpa to discuss what he's seeing on the ground infiltrating MAGA Rallies.

The specter of Roe v. Wade being overturned has re-energized Democrats to fight back; making abortion THE de-facto issue in the midterm elections. The GOP is still obsessed with finding the leaker; hoping to avoid talking about their plans which remain deeply unpopular by a 2-1 margin. The legendary newsman, Sam Donaldson joins Mea Culpa to discuss how news has been degraded in the age of Trump and the danger of disinformation.

The GOP is on the verge of overturning Roe V Wade; a plot forty years in the making. Except Republicans want to change the subject and talk about the leak. Their faux outrage is just a cynical ploy to distract from the real issue, that they're on the wrong side of history. Ali Velshi joins Mea Culpa to help make sense of it all. 

All eyes are on Florida this week as its combative governor, Ron DeSantis takes on Disney for daring to push back against his disgusting “Don't Say Gay Bill.” It's just the latest in a string of maneuvers that has made DeSantis the five star general of the culture wars and the state of Florida as a laboratory for a new kind of free market authoritarian conservatism. Michael Steele joins Mea Culpa to talk about Kevin McCarthy and what the Dems are facing in the coming midterm elections?

The fallout from the Kevin McCarthy tapes keeps coming. While new texts released by the Jan 6th Committee show the extent to which GOP lawmakers stoked the Insurrection. Lincoln Project advisor Stuart Stevens joins Mea Culpa to say where the GOP bodies are really buried. 

Another wild week in Washington with Kevin McCarthy caught on tape saying he'd tell Trump to resign in the aftermath of the insurrection only to lie about it later. Unfortunately, there's a nasty little tape with McCarthy's voice on it. How is the GOP still winning with everything that we know? The Lincoln Project's Reed Galen joins to give us the answers. 

Mea Culpa examines the GOPs frightening embrace of authoritarianism in the coming midterm elections. Joe Trippi joins to help read the political tea leaves. 

The 2022 midterm elections are looking disastrous for Democrats. Should the GOP sweep the elections with a red wave; retaking both the House and Senate, we must prepare for the nightmare scenario of the lunatics returning to the asylum. We game out what that will look like. From nonstop sham investigations to the end of the January 6th Committee, America has no idea what's coming. Bloomberg Opinion Senior Correspondent Tim O' Brien joins us to help read the political tea leaves 

A look at the awful aftermath of the Brooklyn subway shooting. The alleged perp, 62 year old Frank James was mentally disturbed with nine prior arrests and a penchant for broadcasting his most violent fantasies on YouTube. Despite his lengthy rap sheet, James was allowed to purchase an arsenal of weapons, some of which he used to terrorize New York City. Mea Culpa examines how this happened and when, if ever, we can expect sensible gun legislation. Former FBI Assistant Director Frank Figliuzzi joins the conversation. 

The GOP has unleashed a terrifying new plot to harness the collective voting power of millions of QAnon adherents and sympathizers in their quest to retake the Congressional majority in this year's midterm elections. By doing so they have purposely unleashed a dangerous, uncontrollable virus into American politics. We talk with former New York Times investigative reporter and bestselling author Kurt Eichenwald about what it all means.

The GOP is outraged over Madison Cawthorne's claims of group sex and cocaine use amongst its members. Mea Culpa takes a deep dive into the history of MAGA sexual perversion. Plus Norm Eisen joins to discuss the latest in the January 6th Investigation. 

Donald Trump's sleazy solicitation of Vladimir Putin to slime the Bidens is just one more reminder of why Trump is so dangerous. How many times is he going to beg the Russians to save his ass? It's weird, it's wrong and it's disturbing. Meanwhile, the war rages on; killing and maiming thousands. But all Trump cares about is his political future. Malcolm Nance joins us from Ukraine to give a report from the front lines. Do not miss this episode!

Last week's Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Kentanji Brown Jackson proved that the GOP are a bunch of racist goons. But if that wasn't enough, the Washington Post revealed texts from Ginni Thomas, (wife of Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas), sent to Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows that were nothing short of insane; invoking Jesus Christ himself to overturn the election and threatening that “the Biden Crime Family would be sent to barges off Gitmo.” Later Rick Wilson joins to diagnose the sickness at the heart of the MAGA era GOP.

The craven hypocrisy of the GOP is on full display with their attacks on President Biden over his handling of the war in Ukraine. We explore the Putin Wing of the GOP and why they can't stop loving the bloodthirsty dictator. Finally, Neal Kaytal joins to tell us what it all means politically.

President Zelensky's bold address to Congress was a reminder that great leaders are not ordained but forged by circumstance. President Zelensky answered the call when his nation needed him most. The question now is whether President Biden can meet those expectations while stopping short of committing the US to World War III. We'll break it all down for you as usual. Miles Taylor joins Michael to discuss how it all breaks down politically.

An incredible Mea Culpa special episode takes you to the gates of hell; inside the city of Mariupol. Later Sons of Liberty founder Matt Van Dyke joins from an undisclosed bunker near the front to give an unvarnished report. A must listen! 

With the GOP desperately trying to walk back it's pro Putin nonsense, Donald Trump continues to talk up his friendship with the madman dictator. Michael deconstructs the now infamous Sean Hannity interview where the Fox News blowhard desperately tried to get Trump to say Putin was evil. Later CNN host Michael Smerconish joins Mea Culpa to examine the political fallout. 

An amazing, on the ground look at what's happening in Ukraine. Michael speaks with General Mark Hertling about whether or not Putin will use nuclear weapons as a last resort and why the Russians are losing. 

Inside the Jan 6th committee's case against Donald Trump and lawyer John Eastman. Michael D'Antonio takes us inside the former President's mind. 

A special look at President Biden's first State of the Union Address. Plus, America's two demon hecklers, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert try to sabotage Biden's speech but wind up repulsing the nation. Dems plan to target the duo in the run up to the midterms and highlight the GOPs growing disarray. Latter Bakari Sellers joins Mea Culpa to grade the Biden Administration. 

As a horrified nation watches the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Trump and his cronies continue to praise Vladimir Putin causing condemnation and consternation as a majority of Americans are shocked by images of destruction from Kyiv. But Democratic operatives believe their bellicose cheering to be “manna from heaven”; showing Trump and the GOP to truly be the party of fascist dictators. Later Glenn Kirschner joins Mea Culpa to discuss how there's real blood in the water for Donald Trump and believes his days are finally numbered.To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy